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CBC
22 minutes ago
- CBC
Eliminating trustees would leave schools 'at the whims of Toronto'
School trustees and education experts have criticized the Ontario education minister's suggestion that he could eliminate elected trustees, with the advocates arguing they provide critical accountability while the real issue is provincial underfunding of education. Paul Calandra told CBC he is considering doing away with school trustees as part of a review of the provincial governance model. Already he has appointed supervisors to take over five of Ontario's biggest school boards and put all 72 boards on notice to direct funds to classrooms. But school boards play an important role in allocating funding in accordance with the needs of local communities and speaking out when budgets are inadequate, according to Alan Campbell, president of the Canadian School Boards Association. "Local school boards are often the first voices to say, 'This provincial support is no longer adequate and here are some of the manifestations of those inadequacies,'" he told CBC. Eliminating elected trustees would reduce that local level of accountability, he said. "The people of Ontario need to understand that a removal of school boards is a removal of their voice when it comes to what the local public school looks like and how the local public school operates," he said. Campbell urged those people concerned by the minister's suggestion to respond "quickly and loudly." Lyra Evans, an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustee, said eliminating school boards would reduce faith in public education. "The main difference you're going to feel is when there are problems," she said. "It'll hurt people's ability to get answers about what's going on in schools." In April, Calanda announced that the province would appoint a supervisor to oversee the OCDSB after it projected a fifth straight year of financial deficits. Evans said when trustees were asked to slash spending due to austerity budgets, it led to acrimony, dysfunction and resignations. Centralizing administration would not fix this and would mean less local input into decision-making, she said. "You're just going to be at the whims of Toronto." 'At the mercy' of bureaucracy Other provinces have eliminated elected school boards as part of overhauls to their education systems, including in Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia. After Nova Scotia eliminated school boards in 2018, enhanced parent councils to oversee schools never functioned as planned, according to Sachin Maharaj, an assistant professor of education at the University of Ottawa. Parents were too busy and didn't understand the system, he said. Instead, "schools just became less responsive to parents and community members." Without elected boards, the system becomes more bureaucratic, "and parents and community members and students are just more at the mercy of the different layers of that bureaucracy," he said. The Ontario government has exploited a few examples of financial mismanagement as a pretext for the takeover and then eventual elimination of school boards, Maharaj argued, noting that the majority of the 72 school boards do not face such accusations. "Most of the boards that are dealing with financial difficulties are dealing with them for largely reasons beyond their control," he said. "They don't control their own revenues." Ontario's education minister tells CBC News he would consider eliminating school board trustees in the province 21 hours ago 'A critical point in underfunding' Beth Mai, a trustee for the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), said Calandra was blaming boards like hers for problems caused by the province not investing enough in education. The province assumed operations of TVDSB from trustees in April, alleging financial mismanagement at London's public school board. "They are capitalizing on current crises to justify the decisions that they are looking to make," she said. "The reality is that education has been underfunded and is now at a critical point in underfunding." Mai called for public pushback against eliminating school boards. "I would be shocked if trustees continue to exist after this municipal term unless there is significant communication from the public that they value local decision making," she said. The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association said locally elected Catholic school trustees have a "long history of effective representation of parents and the Catholic community and dedicated service in support of the wellbeing of students."


CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
SAQ may have to destroy $300,000 worth of American alcohol
An SAQ employee removes bottles of American wine from a Montreal store on March 4, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Quebec's alcohol board says it may be forced to destroy hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of American alcohol, which has been banned from its shelves. The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) confirmed that the estimated costs are 'in the ballpark of' $300,000, as reported by Radio-Canada on Thursday. American products have been removed from SAQ shelves since March 4 in response to tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. American alcohol purchased before the boycott is currently in storage, but the SAQ said it will have no choice but to destroy it when it passes its expiration date, unless Quebec changes its guidelines. For now, the estimated value represents only a small portion of the $27-million worth of American products in storage. 'The products currently affected are mainly rosé wines, boxed wines, ready-to-drink beverages, creams, certain beers and liqueurs that are not designed for extended storage,' said spokesperson Laurianne Tardif in a written statement. The $300,000 figure is not set in stone, Tardif clarified. 'The scenario surrounding these products has not yet been finalized, and the operation is still ongoing. Several factors, including the duration of the operation, the number of products involved and future decisions regarding their fate, will have a direct impact on the potential costs,' she said. In June, SAQ President and CEO Jacques Farcy stated that the American products in storage had not yet lost their value. 'These are not fresh or perishable products,' Farcy said. 'These products retain their value, I would say. If things drag on, there may be further discussions.' He said that it would be up to the Quebec government to decide when and if the SAQ can sell American products again. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 21, 2025.


Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rising concerns over U.S. move to broaden products subject to metal tariffs
TORONTO – There's growing concern about a move by the United States to make hundreds more product categories subject to the country's 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum content. The addition of 407 categories, ranging from bulldozers to furniture, came into effect earlier this week to add pressure and costs to those hoping to sell into the U.S. market. Catherine Cobden, head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association says the move is another blow to the integrated Canada-U.S. economy and will impact the manufacturing of steel-containing products in Canada destined for the United States. She says products like cutlery, propane tanks, air conditioners, agricultural equipment like tractors and many more now face the additional tariffs on their metal content. Cobden says in the statement issued Thursday that Canada should retaliate with a 50 per cent tariff on all U.S. steel entering Canada, including ending an 'ill-advised' April reprieve on U.S. steel used in manufacturing and processing. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. On Wednesday, Hamilton, Ont., mayor Andrea Horwath said Trump's latest 'underhanded move to quietly expand U.S. tariffs' is devastating for the city, adding she's reached out to both the provincial and federal governments to push them to act. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2025.