FAQs | Fix Our Schools

Resources from the Fix Our Schools campaign. If you have questions, please contact us.

FACT: All school & education funding comes from the provincial government
FACT: Ontario schools have a repair backlog of more than $16.8 Billion
FACT: Since 2018 the backlog has increased by $1 Billion
FACT: This $16.8-B repair backlog does not include:

repairing portables
(over 100,000 children)
filtering or monitoring classroom air
(province-wide lack of equity) (1)
removing lead in drinking water
(63% of schools) (2)
remediating asbestos
(70% of schools) (3)
solving poor classroom temperatures
(no A/C in schools (4) and poorly heated classrooms (5) )
accessibility retrofits
(AODA deadline is 2025) (6)

How could Ontario fund the School Repair Backlog?
There are several ways to eliminate the $16.8-billion repair backlog (as at June 2021):

1. Province could provide stable and adequate yearly funding for school renewal and repairs. All parts of education are so underfunded that boards sometimes dip into school repair funds to pay for other essential needs (TDSB Hepa Filters). (7)

FACT: Some years, the province funded one-tenth of the true cost of routine repairs needed, according to industry standards (8)
FACT: Conducting reactive repairs always costs taxpayers more than proactive, routine maintenance.
FACT: Eliminating the repair backlog is fiscally responsible.

2. The province could immediately amend the regulation governing Education Development Charges (EDC’s) so that developers are required to contribute to public infrastructure (such as schools!) from which they profit. For example, The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has been banned by the Ontario Government from collecting EDC’s, meaning they received zero dollars worth of EDC’s over 20 years of constant condo construction.

FACT: Over the same period, the Toronto Catholic School Board collected $204 Million EDC revenue while disrepair in TDSB schools grew to almost $4 Billion. (9)

3. Increased corporate taxes could contribute a large percentage of what is required to eliminate the backlog. Historically, businesses have argued that raising corporate tax will hurt investment. But StatsCan numbers show that drastic cuts to the corporate income tax rate have not stimulated new business investment over the last 20 years. (10)

FACT: In 2019, Canadian bankers had what they described as “bleak” bonuses totalling $15.6 Billion… enough to repair most of the school buildings in Ontario. (11)

Why Do School Building Conditions Matter So Much?

1. There is overwhelming evidence that improving the condition of a school is linked with increased academic performance and decreased absenteeism. Fixing a school building will improve the education of those students. (12)

2. Remediating asbestos, improving air quality, and removing health issues related to aging buildings will improve the health of students.

FACT: Improved school building conditions results in reduced rates of asthma in students and staff. (12)

3. Schools are valuable assets owned by taxpayers that need to be maintained to keep their value. Tax dollars are wasted when school boards need to do emergency repairs rather than cost-effective proactive repairs. Just like any infrastructure project, stable, adequate funding is needed to make the most cost-effective repairs.

4. The lack of crucial technology and stable wi-fi required for a modern education in Ontario schools is related to the disrepair backlog. Leaking roofs and rusted structural columns are urgent matters that use a school board’s energy and resources.

5. Would you rather have your child’s principal managing a maintenance job or providing leadership at the school? Principals often find themselves in the role of boiler specialist rather than curriculum leader.

6. Many outstanding repairs lurk beneath the surface. The public has no way of seeing or knowing that a boiler needs replacing or a roof is about to leak in the next rainstorm, or drinking water needs to have lead flushed daily or there is a structural repair required. We do not know the extent of the deterioration of Ontario’s schools, as the Ontario Government has not released repair data since 2018.

FACT: Many children don’t know schools should be any other way since their school has been in disrepair since they started attending. Some of the vague complaints we get from our children can be easily dismissed.

7. School building conditions impact Ontario’s economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown how crucial safe and healthy schools are. But even pre-pandemic we saw the impacts of the $16.8 Billion in school disrepair; children missed school due to deteriorating buildings resulting in lost work hours for their parents and lost tax dollars for our province.