The Northumberland Labour Council is urging parents, students and teachers to speak out against Ontario’s new Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, saying it represents a fundamental power shift in the province’s education system.
In a statement issued this week, council president Dan Tobin said the legislation would move control away from democratically elected school boards, student unions and autonomous universities into the hands of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet. He warned the bill would make it easier for the province to seize control of local boards by citing “financial mismanagement” or “governance concerns,” while taking over financial decisions and the sale of school properties.
The bill also mandates collaboration with police through School Resource Officer programs, even where communities have voted to end them. Tobin said these changes fail to address pressing issues such as overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, violence in schools, cuts to special-needs supports and a multi-billion-dollar repair backlog.
“Parents lose their say, students lose services, and communities lose accountability,” Tobin said, adding that the legislation risks importing an “American-style takeover” of education.
He’s encouraging residents to contact their MPPs and share concerns about what he calls an attempt to silence local voices in education. “Schools should be places for learning, not political battlegrounds,” Tobin said.
Bill 33 was introduced earlier this year by Education Minister Paul Calandra and is currently before the Ontario Legislature.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)