behind closed doors
At it’s Jan 19th meeting, the TDSB board set up dates to deal with the Minister’s directives (a public consultation on Jan 26th, a board meeting on Feb 4th to consider plans to respond to the directives and finally on Wednesday Feb 10th a special board meeting to approve its plan to implement the Minister’s directives.) Trustees […]
Planners pummel provincial proposal
Municipal planners are warning that proposed changes to how Ontario closes schools — overlooking their community value — fly in the face of what cities are told to create vibrant neighbourhoods. The “significant concerns” raised by the Regional Planning Commissioners of Ontario, voiced in a letter to the province, add more fuel to the growing […]
5 Questions for the Minister
A TYLC Communique: The Ontario government has just released a directive ordering the Toronto District School Board to make drastic changes to the role of school trustees, and clearing the way for closing up to 100 schools. We have been down this road before. When the Mike Harris government was attempting to impose its will […]
Minister directs TDSB
Minister’s directives TDSB (1) Minister’s directives TDSB (2) Louise Brown GTA, Kristin Rushowy Education Reporter, Published Toronto Star on Thu Jan 15 2015 Education Minister Liz Sandals has ordered Toronto District School Board trustees to vacate their offices at board headquarters, get ride of their assistants and stop butting into the everyday operations of the country’s […]
De-amalgamating TDSB?
Kristin Rushowy The Star Education Reporter, Published on Mon Jan 12 2015 Too big, too unwieldly and utterly dysfunctional. For years, such criticism has been levelled against the Toronto District School Board — one of the largest in North America, the biggest in Canada and nearly twice the size of the next biggest Ontario board. Forged […]
Province won’t consult boards on school-closure rule changes
The Ministry of Education won’t be giving individual school boards a say on new guidelines that will allow school-closure studies to be done more quickly and with less citizen input. Spokesperson Gary Wheeler said the ministry has already “conducted comprehensive consultations with many of our education partners” on the news rules, which cut the existing […]
Austerity’s unaffordable tax cuts breed extreme poverty
“The Right’s greatest success has been to redefine taxes as a burden” says Alex Himelfarb, former clerk of Canada’s Privy Council: The number one issue for me is inequality. … Austerity at every level of government–largely self-imposed through years of unaffordable tax cuts – has eroded our key redistributive institutions, welfare and employment insurance, and […]
Public input essential
“The proposed changes to the Pupil Accommodation Review Guidelines are … dismissive of the people and communities the Ministry of Education, and the Government of Ontario at large, has been elected to serve.” A letter to: Premier of Ontario, Hon. Kathleen Wynne & Minister of Education, Hon. Liz Sandals November 18, 2014 –Reanda Doornink, Near North District School […]
Why Sell Public Assets When You can Rent Them?
Janet Bojti, public education activist and school sales researcher reports: The average school site will sell for a price in the neighbourhood of five to six million dollars. However, long before selling publicly owned school land was all the rage, school boards rented the property when the schools they once housed were no longer […]
They’re Closing My Neighbourhood School?
Since 2008 the Toronto Lands Corporation, has reported on the sale of 60 TDSB properties on behalf of the school board. The TLC is the real estate arm of the TDSB. They’re Closing My Neighbourhood School? Why is the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) closing schools and severing off school yards and selling them off? […]