Provincial Education Reform Consultation – Telephone Town Halls Begin Tomorrow!
On October 18, we were notified that the second component of the ministry’s education reform consultation will begin October 19 in the Northwestern region of the province. This component includes a series of 90 minute telephone town halls across Ontario. OPSBA has created a chart that lists the dates and locations for the town halls that will occur from October 19 to November 29, 2018. Please note there is more than one town hall scheduled in each region.
Participation details
- Participants are to provide their telephone number and email address to register for each session. This must be done by 4 p.m. the day before the town hall.
- Participants will receive an email reminder about the telephone town hall the day before the call, or if the consultation session is cancelled.
- Participants that don’t register, can try calling directly into the toll-free number: 1-800-385-0829.
The Ministry of Education’s Consultation: Education in Ontario includes an online submission form, telephone town halls, and a separate online survey to be released later.
Please note and remember:
OPSBA’s Policy Development and Education Program Work Teams are taking the lead on the Association’s response. The work teams are meeting this month to review evidence-based information and past position statements regarding each question. OPSBA will prepare a resource for all member boards and trustees to consider when responding to the consultation well in advance of the December 15 deadline.
Additional consultation details are available at https://www.ontario.ca/page/for-the-parents
Bill 36, Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, 2018
On October 17, Bill 36, Cannabis Statute Law Amendment Act, received Royal Assent shortly after 5 p.m. Deputy Minister Nancy Naylor sent a memo that provides an update on revised PPMs, links to fact sheets for parents and educators and links to other resources. The memo includes an appendix that provides a board-by-board breakdown of one-time funding provided by the Ministry of Education to support local training needs related to the legalization of recreational cannabis. On November 8, 2018, the ministry will host three Safe and Healthy Schools Webinars to provide information related to the legalization of recreational cannabis, including an overview of the policy revisions.
Education Development Charge (EDC)
On October 15, 2018 the Ministry of Education issued memo B15, Temporary Cap on Education Development Charge Rates. The memo indicates the government’s intent to review the EDC policy framework and announced amendments made to Ontario Regulation 20/98 Education Development Charges – General. These changes will have a significant financial impact to several of our member boards. In particular, freezing the amount boards were able to charge developers to remain at the level existing in by-laws as of August 31, 2018. OPSBA has contacted the Minister’s office staff to express our concerns and will be connecting with member boards Senior Business Officials to fully capture the implications. We will also be asking to be part of any EDC review consultation as we had been seeking regulation changes to allow for more board flexibility with the use of EDC generated funds.