The Ontario Federation of Labour is condemning Education Minister Paul Calandra’s suggestion that Ontario may eliminate elected school boards, calling it a deliberate distraction from the Ford government’s record on education.
OFL president Laura Walton said the minister’s proposal is not about solving problems in schools but about shifting attention away from issues like overcrowded classrooms, violence, staff shortages, and crumbling infrastructure. She argued that dismantling school boards would silence local voices, undermine accountability, and give the provincial government even greater control.
“This is distraction, plain and simple,” Walton said. “The Ford government is trying to convince Ontarians that trustees are the problem, when the real crisis was created by their own cuts and chronic underfunding. Our communities deserve real solutions – smaller classes, more supports for students, and safe schools – not another cynical power grab.”
The OFL also warned that eliminating boards would weaken the democratic structures that give parents and communities a say in education. Instead of concentrating more power at Queen’s Park, the federation is urging the government to make meaningful investments that address classroom challenges and support students and staff.
The OFL is calling on Ontarians to recognize the proposal as political misdirection and to push the province toward restoring funding and resources to public education.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)