Ontario opposition grills Ford government over education spending

Naama Weingarten · CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 10:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

As aggregate Ontario schoolhouse boards brainstorm ways to excavation themselves retired of multi-million dollar deficits, Premier Doug Ford's authorities faced heated questions from absorption leaders Thursday implicit its acquisition spending. 

The discussions travel conscionable a week earlier the authorities is acceptable to table its budget, and as three schoolhouse boards look provincial audits, examining how overmuch government spending truly ends up successful the classroom

That includes the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), wherever trustees are considering shuttering pools and laying disconnected instructors to curtail a $58-million dollar deficit. 

NDP Leader Marit Stiles, a former TDSB trustee, said the Ford government's chronic underfunding of acquisition is to blasted for the deficits schoolhouse boards face. 

"This authorities is forcing boards to marque decisions each azygous time that interaction our kids. They're the ones who are feeling it," she said. 

On Wednesday, TDSB trustees called connected the authorities to wage its just stock of acquisition funding, saying it hasn't caught up with costs extracurricular their control, specified arsenic a increasing authorities of bully repair backlog and rising staffing costs. In a report, the committee attributed astir 85 per cent of its expenses to labour costs.

Liberal House person John Fraser said acquisition backing has dropped by $1,500 per pupil since 2018, when adjusting for ostentation — a fig the authorities disputes.  

"My question to the Premier is, does helium truly deliberation that spending $1,500 per pupil little each twelvemonth is bully for their education?" Fraser said. 

Minister says existing funds being spent successful incorrect places

Education Minister Paul Calandra said Thursday he believes existing funds are being spent connected the incorrect priorities, and that's wherefore he's ordered authorities audits.

"I don't recognize wherefore they're truthful afraid, due to the fact that presumably their numbers are truthful steadfast that the probe volition find that what they've been talking astir is accurate, right?" helium said, referring to the NDP and the TDSB. 

"I fishy what volition beryllium recovered is that wealth is not being enactment into the schoolroom for schoolroom acquisition arsenic it should be."

A time earlier, Calandra told reporters the TDSB should approach cuts otherwise than what's being considered. 

"They should not bash it by firing teachers and they should not bash it by closing down pools. That is not what I would let to happen. There are different avenues to bash it," helium said. 

His property caput told CBC successful a connection past week that the government gave the TDSB a grounds summation successful acquisition backing this schoolhouse year, adding the committee had "multiple opportunities" to code its fiscal situation.

TDSB seat Neethan Shan says helium welcomes the audit, arsenic it volition amusement the authorities wherefore it's hard to chopped costs. 

"There's nary much spot to chopped successful a mode that doesn't importantly interaction our children and their education. So, you know, we are looking guardant to that conversation, and we are precise open," helium told CBC Thursday. 

School committee crackdowns travel fiscal scandals

The authorities has promised successful caller weeks to ace down connected schoolhouse committee spending after a bid of scandals involving question expenses. 

The authorities precocious took power of a schoolhouse committee successful London pursuing a $40,000 retreat to Toronto, which unit took portion the committee was facing a shortage worthy $7.6 million. 

The state besides ordered the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to wage backmost the costs of a luxurious travel to Italy, wherever 4 trustees went to bargain creation for schools and spent $190,000 of nationalist money.

And present the TDSB, the Toronto Catholic School Board and Ottawa-Carleton schoolhouse boards are facing audits from the provincial government, which has threatened to instrumentality over boards that fail to instrumentality due measures to equilibrium their budgets

WATCH | Ontario authorities responds to excessive schoolhouse committee spending connected travel: 

TDSB trustees person asked Calandra for a sit-down gathering arsenic they proceed brainstorming ways to trim costs — each with the hopes the state volition transportation successful much funds. 

Calandra says the preliminary investigative reports connected the schoolhouse boards' spending could get astatine the extremity of May.