TDSB chair calls on provincial parties to 'prioritize young people,' reimburse pandemic-related costs
The chair of the Toronto District School Board is asking political parties to “put younger people first” and reimburse Toronto schools for pandemic-related costs ahead of the upcoming provincial election.
Alexander Brown held a news conference Wednesday, two weeks ahead of the June 2 election, and said “education has been missing” in all of the parties’ platforms.
“I strongly believe that education should play a larger role in this election. This provincial government needs to prioritize the young people of Ontario who we can all agree have suffered greatly over these past two years,” he said from the TDSB’s head office on Wednesday afternoon.
The TDSB is projecting a deficit of $52.2 million for the 2022-23 school year, primarily due to pandemic-related costs and declining enrollment. The deficit also includes the TDSB’s annual structural deficit.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
At the news conference, Brown urged all parties to commit to providing the TDSB with additional funding to cover the shortfall. He also wants additional funding for the board’s three-phase pandemic recovery plan that will identify groups that have been most impacted by the pandemic, where interventions will be put in place, and initial outcomes that result from those interventions.
“I'm specifically asking for a commitment to reimburse all pandemic-related expenses incurred by the school boards over the past two years, to fully fund the TDSB’s pandemic recovery plan and to reinstate the enrollment stabilization funding, provide additional funding to cover cost increases related to employee benefits, utilities and other inflationary cost increases that are not currently funded by the ministry,” Brown said.
If additional funding is not given to the TDSB then Brown said it will have to look for savings, and cuts will have to be made to staffing and programming.
“We would have to find the $52 million in our budget as with the money that the province gives us, which means that we'd have to look at the programming, we may have to shift where we put resources to move it into the pot to pay for, to cover the $52 million. We may see decreases in staff. We're always worried that programming may be affected by this,” he said.
Earlier this week, the TDSB updated its three-year projection and recovery plan to cover the deficit by paying an estimated $12 million in the first year and $12 million in each of the following years.
Over the past two years, Brown said he has sent numerous letters to Education Minister Stephen Lecce that outline deficit concerns and request additional funding.
Brown also noted that the current Ford government doesn’t have “a good record so far” with funding for the TDSB as the government slashed almost $70 million of the board’s funding in the first year Ford came into office in 2018.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Nearly 46,000 electric vehicles recalled in Canada over potential power loss
Nearly 46,000 electric vehicles from Kia, Hyundai and Genesis are being recalled in Canada over a potential power loss issue that can increase the risk of a crash.
Canada Post quarterly loss tops $300M as strike hits second week -- and rivals step in
Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market, while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line.
'Immoral depravity': Two men convicted in case of frozen migrant family in Manitoba
A jury has found two men guilty on human smuggling charges in a case where a family from India froze to death in Manitoba while trying to walk across the Canada-U.S. border.
Canada's tax relief plan: Who gets a cheque?
The Canadian government has unveiled its plans for a sweeping GST/HST pause on select items during the holiday period. The day after the announcement, questions remain on how the whole thing will work.
Quebec man, 81, gets prison sentence after admitting to killing wife with Alzheimer's disease
An 81-year-old Quebec man has been sentenced to prison after admitting to killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease.
Pat King found guilty of mischief for role in 'Freedom Convoy'
Pat King, one of the most prominent figures of the 2022 'Freedom Convoy' in Ottawa, has been found guilty on five counts including mischief and disobeying a court order.
Canada issues travel warning after 6 people die from tainted alcohol in Laos
The Canadian government is warning travellers following the deaths of at least six people in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists in Laos after drinking tainted alcohol.
Ground beef tied to U.S. E. coli recall, illnesses wasn't sold in Canada: distributor
At least 19 people in Minnesota have been sickened by E. coli poisoning tied to a national recall of more than 167,000 pounds of potentially tainted ground beef, federal health officials said.
Canada's new income tax brackets in 2025: What you need to know
The Canada Revenue Agency has released updated federal income tax brackets for 2025, reflecting adjustments for inflation. Here’s the breakdown.