Ontario to give education minister power to more easily take over school boards

Ontario is set to give the minister of education power to more easily put school boards under supervision and require more boards to put police officers in schools.

The Canadian Press has learned that Education Minister Paul Calandra will introduce broad legislation Thursday, following weeks of warnings to boards that he would implement tougher oversight.

Calandra announced in April that the province had taken control of one school board by appointing a supervisor due to financial "mismanagement" and was launching financial investigations of three others, describing his actions as putting all boards "on notice."

The legislation is set to expand the reasons for initiating an investigation or putting a board under supervision beyond just financial ones, to include matters of public interest.

In a news release set to be released later Thursday, the government gives an example of "board governance dysfunction that is preventing key decisions from being made."

As well, Ontario would require school boards to implement a School Resource Officer program if the local police service offers one.

Some school boards have such programs on a voluntary basis, while others ended their programs several years ago, after some students reported feeling uncomfortable or intimidated and some racialized communities raised concerns.

The government materials say having more school resource officers would "help build relationships between youth and police, actively promote positive behaviour and create a culture of mutual respect."

The bill would also give the minister power to direct school boards to publicly post expenses of trustees, the director of education and others, and would give the minister power over school names when boards open new schools or want to change an existing name.

The legislation also contains measures directed at the post-secondary system, including requiring post-secondary admissions policies to be merit-based and requiring colleges and universities to provide detailed breakdowns of how tuition fee revenue is used.

As well, the bill would allow the government to "require transparency and increased oversight of ancillary fees at post-secondary institutions," reminiscent of a court battle from the early days of the Doug Ford government.

Ford's government enacted its "Student Choice Initiative" in 2019, which made some post-secondary fees optional, such as for student unions, but the province's top court struck it down.

This legislation instead lays the groundwork for the government to consult with the sector to decide which ancillary fees cover core services, and determine an opt-out mechanism.

Children's aid societies have also been under the Ford government microscope, with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services launching a review of them in the fall, and they, too, are subject to increased scrutiny in this bill.

The legislation would increase the government's oversight of certain financial decisions, to be "outlined in future regulations."