MPPs have a constituency week following Thanksgiving and will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on October 15, 2018. Provincial Education Reform Consultation On September 28, the Ministry of Education released its Consultation: Education in Ontario. This...
Education Policy
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – September 28 and 29, 2018
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on September 28 and 29, 2018, in Toronto. OPSBA President Cathy Abraham gave an acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of the New...
Legislative Update – August 15, 2018
MPPs rose for summer recess after yesterday's session and return on September 24, 2018. Their return follows the 2018 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, held this year from September 18 to 22, 2018, in Pain Court, Chatham-Kent, Ontario. This is traditionally...
Legislative Update – April 30, 2018
Election Time Frames – A Quick Overview Pre-Writ No official stopping of government initiatives but things tend to slow down, as do communications. Writ Period (May 9 – June 7) Legislative Assembly dissolves and MPPs are no longer members but Ministers remain as...
Legislative Update – March 28, 2018
School Board Governance Last Fall, OPSBA participated in a ministry consultation that included five areas of discussion: Code of Conduct & Integrity Commissioners, Trustee Honoraria, Student Trustees, Electronic Meetings and Director of Education...
Legislative Update – March 26, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario resumed on March 19, 2018. Acting on behalf of Premier Kathleen Wynne, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the Third Session of the 41st Parliament of Ontario. The 20-minute speech...
Legislative Update – March 5, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario resumed on February 20, 2018. MPPs have upcoming constituency weeks that align with March Break and Easter. This means there are seven sitting weeks scheduled before writ of election, set for Wednesday, May 9, 2018 with the next...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – February 23 and 24, 2018
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Feb. 23 and 24, 2018, in Toronto. An acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and the Métis Nation was...
Legislative Update, January 22, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario remains adjourned for Winter Recess and will resume on February 20, 2018. Please see below for an update on recent items... On January 17, 2018, the Premier announced changes to the Liberal Cabinet. Of note, Indira Naidoo-Harris...
Legislative Update, January 3, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario adjourned for Winter Recess in December and will resume on Feb. 20, 2018. The next provincial election is to be on or before June 7, 2018. Bill 174, Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017 This...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – Dec. 1 and 2, 2017
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Dec. 1 and 2, 2017, in Toronto. A traditional Indigenous territory acknowledgement was provided by Trustee Elaine Johnston, the Indigenous Trustees' Council's Board of Director member. Representatives from the Ontario...
Legislative Update, Nov. 27, 2017
Bill 174, Cannabis Act On November 1, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi introduced the government's official cannabis legislation. The omnibus legislation enacts two new bills, the Cannabis Act and the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation Act. It also repeals the Smoke-Free...
A public engagement of Education Assessment in Ontario
Earlier this fall, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced a review of Ontario's student assessment practices. Led by the Minister's Education Advisors, the independent review aims to ensure that Ontario's student assessments are...
Legislative Update, Oct. 27, 2017
Pilot Program to Support Students with Autism in Schools On October 25, 2017, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter announced a new pilot program for children with autism. The program will provide dedicated space in schools for ABA practitioners, give education assistants...
Legislative Update, Oct. 11, 2017
MPPs are on a constituency week October 10 to 13 and will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on October 16, 2017. 2018-19 Education Funding Engagement Guide / Grants for Student Needs (GSN) Consultation On October 10, the Ministry of Education released its...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – September 22 and 23, 2017
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Sept. 22 and 23, 2017 in Toronto. A traditional territory acknowledgement was provided by Trustee Karen Sandy, the Indigenous Trustees’ Council’s Alternate Board of Director member. Michael Coteau, the Minister of...
Human Rights Tribunal – service dogs not automatic right in schools
Miller Thomson LLP has posted an important update regarding service dogs in schools in its September 2017 Education Law Newsletter. The authors, Kennedy MacDonald and Nadya Tymochenko, write, "In a recent decision, J.F. v. Waterloo Catholic District School Board, the...
OPSBA’s 2016-17 Annual Report
OPSBA has released its 2016-17 Annual Report, highlighting our advocacy and work in the past year. Read it today to find out how we've advanced progress on our six strategic priorities since June 2016!
Education Policy
Legislative Update – October 9, 2018
MPPs have a constituency week following Thanksgiving and will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on October 15, 2018. Provincial Education Reform Consultation On September 28, the Ministry of Education released its Consultation: Education in Ontario. This...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – September 28 and 29, 2018
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on September 28 and 29, 2018, in Toronto. OPSBA President Cathy Abraham gave an acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of the New...
Legislative Update – August 15, 2018
MPPs rose for summer recess after yesterday's session and return on September 24, 2018. Their return follows the 2018 International Plowing Match and Rural Expo, held this year from September 18 to 22, 2018, in Pain Court, Chatham-Kent, Ontario. This is traditionally...
Legislative Update – April 30, 2018
Election Time Frames – A Quick Overview Pre-Writ No official stopping of government initiatives but things tend to slow down, as do communications. Writ Period (May 9 – June 7) Legislative Assembly dissolves and MPPs are no longer members but Ministers remain as...
Legislative Update – March 28, 2018
School Board Governance Last Fall, OPSBA participated in a ministry consultation that included five areas of discussion: Code of Conduct & Integrity Commissioners, Trustee Honoraria, Student Trustees, Electronic Meetings and Director of Education...
Legislative Update – March 26, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario resumed on March 19, 2018. Acting on behalf of Premier Kathleen Wynne, Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the Third Session of the 41st Parliament of Ontario. The 20-minute speech...
Legislative Update – March 5, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario resumed on February 20, 2018. MPPs have upcoming constituency weeks that align with March Break and Easter. This means there are seven sitting weeks scheduled before writ of election, set for Wednesday, May 9, 2018 with the next...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – February 23 and 24, 2018
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Feb. 23 and 24, 2018, in Toronto. An acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and the Métis Nation was...
Legislative Update, January 22, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario remains adjourned for Winter Recess and will resume on February 20, 2018. Please see below for an update on recent items... On January 17, 2018, the Premier announced changes to the Liberal Cabinet. Of note, Indira Naidoo-Harris...
Legislative Update, January 3, 2018
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario adjourned for Winter Recess in December and will resume on Feb. 20, 2018. The next provincial election is to be on or before June 7, 2018. Bill 174, Cannabis, Smoke-Free Ontario and Road Safety Statute Law Amendment Act, 2017 This...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – Dec. 1 and 2, 2017
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Dec. 1 and 2, 2017, in Toronto. A traditional Indigenous territory acknowledgement was provided by Trustee Elaine Johnston, the Indigenous Trustees' Council's Board of Director member. Representatives from the Ontario...
Legislative Update, Nov. 27, 2017
Bill 174, Cannabis Act On November 1, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi introduced the government's official cannabis legislation. The omnibus legislation enacts two new bills, the Cannabis Act and the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation Act. It also repeals the Smoke-Free...
A public engagement of Education Assessment in Ontario
Earlier this fall, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Education Mitzie Hunter announced a review of Ontario's student assessment practices. Led by the Minister's Education Advisors, the independent review aims to ensure that Ontario's student assessments are...
Legislative Update, Oct. 27, 2017
Pilot Program to Support Students with Autism in Schools On October 25, 2017, Education Minister Mitzie Hunter announced a new pilot program for children with autism. The program will provide dedicated space in schools for ABA practitioners, give education assistants...
Legislative Update, Oct. 11, 2017
MPPs are on a constituency week October 10 to 13 and will return to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on October 16, 2017. 2018-19 Education Funding Engagement Guide / Grants for Student Needs (GSN) Consultation On October 10, the Ministry of Education released its...
OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – September 22 and 23, 2017
The OPSBA Board of Directors held a meeting on Sept. 22 and 23, 2017 in Toronto. A traditional territory acknowledgement was provided by Trustee Karen Sandy, the Indigenous Trustees’ Council’s Alternate Board of Director member. Michael Coteau, the Minister of...
Human Rights Tribunal – service dogs not automatic right in schools
Miller Thomson LLP has posted an important update regarding service dogs in schools in its September 2017 Education Law Newsletter. The authors, Kennedy MacDonald and Nadya Tymochenko, write, "In a recent decision, J.F. v. Waterloo Catholic District School Board, the...
OPSBA’s 2016-17 Annual Report
OPSBA has released its 2016-17 Annual Report, highlighting our advocacy and work in the past year. Read it today to find out how we've advanced progress on our six strategic priorities since June 2016!