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Proposed Regulation Changes to Education Development Charges (EDCs)

October 3, 2019

Current provincial regulations guiding the eligibility for and use of Education Development Charges (EDCs) leave hundreds of millions of dollars in Developers’ pockets rather than being allowed to be invested in school repair, renewal, and additions. Since Fix Our Schools began in 2014, we’ve always believed that Developers ought to contribute financially to the public infrastructure in the neighbourhoods where they choose to build.

 

As such, we have urged the provincial government to amend the Ontario Regulation 20/98 that guides the eligibility for and use of EDCs. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has also often urged the provincial government to make changes to this outdated regulation. The TDSB has also, in fact, challenged the Ontario government over the equity of its EDC regulation. 

When the provincial government recently proposed regulation changes to EDCs, Fix Our Schools was originally excited that the proposed changes could unlock new funding sources for school repairs, renewal, and additions. However, no such luck. We have submitted the following  comments to the Ministry of Education, with the hope that our feedback will be integrated into additional changes to provincial EDC regulations:

Re: Proposed Regulations re: Education Development Charges (EDCs) and Notice by School Boards Prior to Acquiring Land

Fix Our Schools is a non-partisan, parent-led, Ontario-wide campaign calling for every publicly funded school in Ontario to be a safe, healthy, well-maintained building that provides an environment conducive to learning and working.

As context for our comments, we’d like to highlight that provincial funding for school repairs was grossly inadequate for almost 20 years, in many years only one-tenth of what industry standards suggest as the bare minimum school boards required to conduct routine repairs and maintenance. Mike Harris’ PC government bequeathed $5.6-billion of school disrepair to the Liberal government in 2003. The Liberals subsequently allowed school disrepair to triple over 15 years to $15.9-billion as of October 2017, the last time the Ministry of Education updated and publicly released school disrepair data.   

Given the shocking amount of disrepair plaguing Ontario’s schools, Fix Our Schools has, since our inception in 2014, urged the provincial government to consider all funding sources available to pay for repairs, renewal, and new school builds. In this solution-oriented spirit, Fix Our Schools has also urged the provincial government to consider revising the outdated provincial regulations that guide the eligibility for and use of Education Development Charges (EDCs).

We believe that in urban centres, Developers consider good local schools to be important to a new development’s profitability and that Developers intentionally select sites near good local schools in order to maximize profitability.

 

We have also heard from several sources that Developers presume they must pay Education Development Charges, not fully understanding that some school boards in some jurisdictions are not eligible to charge EDCs. Therefore, these Developers budget EDCs for all local school boards into their pricing models.

Given that Developers profit from good local schools and, suspecting that many Developers already include EDC costs into their pricing models, the provincial government must evolve its EDC regulations. New EDC regulations must ensure that Developers contribute financially, not only towards site acquisition for new schools, but also towards school repair, renewal, and additions where local schools aren’t able to accommodate new students.

In reviewing this current EDC proposal, we are disappointed to see that the provincial government continues to leave hundreds of millions of dollars in Developers’ pockets instead of using said money to improve the learning conditions of Ontario’s children. We urge the provincial government to make changes to Ontario Regulation 20/98 that would see Developers contribute in a meaningful financial way to ensuring that all Ontario children can attend a local school within a reasonable distance/travel time from their home and one that is safe, healthy and well-maintained. In fact, we were extremely disappointed to note that this proposed change actually decreases the amount of money that Developers contribute to critical public school infrastructure by putting a restriction of a 5% rate increase for EDCs.

Thank you for considering these comments. We look forward to next steps in regulation amendments.

Kind regards, Krista Wylie, Co-Founder of Fix Our Schools  

 

What Are Your Priority Issues for the Federal Election?

October 1, 2019

An issues-based election is always more productive than one filled with personal attacks on party leaders – don’t you agree?

So, if we want to see our priority issues discussed during the next few weeks leading up to the federal election on October 21st, we need to demand that these issues be discussed.

At Fix Our Schools, we continue to prioritize school conditions as an issue in this federal election and the important role that school infrastructure plays in the lives and education of our young people. With this in mind, we will be asking the following questions:

What are your priority issues for this federal election?

  • Childcare?
  • Climate change/Environment?
  • Economy?
  • Gun control?
  • Healthcare?
  • Housing?
  • Immigration?
  • Indigenous reconciliation?
  • Jobs?
  • What else do you prioritize as a key issue for this federal election?

If you’re interested in following the platforms of each of the six main parties, you may find this CBC site helpful. And finally, here are some easy opportunities for you to ensure your priority issues get discussed:

  • Ask your local candidates when they knock on your door campaigning
  • Send your local candidates an email or give their office a call, asking them their position/proposed solution for your priority issues
  • Attend a local candidates debate and ask about your priority issues in that forum
  • Contact media by sending a letter to the editor – either your local newspaper or a national news outlet
  • Talk with your network about your priority issues and find out theirs!

OPSBA Federal Election Resource Guide

September 26, 2019

The Ontario School Board Association (OPSBA) has distributed a thoughtful resource guide for school boards and trustees to use during the federal election to ensure that candidates hear about the importance of public education.

Fix Our Schools was thrilled to see the following specific topics addressed and we encourage all citizens to ask their local federal candidates some of the following questions to ensure they understand that publicly funded education is a key Canadian value!

Indigenous Education 

OPSBA notes that “schools in Indigenous communities are seriously underfunded and are starved for the kinds of resources that are common in the provincial publicly funded school system. An effective school is housed in a building that is safe, sound and welcoming.”

Questions for Candidates related to Indigenous Education:

  • How would you and your party work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples in Canada toward the full and effective implementation of the Calls to Action of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
  • How will you and your political party work to secure federal funding commitments that will ensure equitable funding and equity of opportunity for education in Indigenous communities?
  • How will you and your political party work with Indigenous leaders, as well as provincial Ministries of Education, to ensure that Indigenous children have every opportunity to attain an education comparable to children in the rest of Canada?

Technology & E-Learning

OPSBA notes that “the use of technology for learning and teaching can be highly valuable for all students, especially in remote locations, provided they have access to modern, high-speed internet infrastructure. “

Questions for Candidates related to Technology & E-Learning:

  • Will your government continue to increase broadband development and implementation to ensure there is equity of access for all school boards across the country?
  • How will you invest in technology that enriches the classroom experience for students and teachers?
  • Will you support federal funding that allows school boards to ensure that technology in schools is current and relevant for various student pathways?

Capital-Related Issues

OPSBA notes that “many schools have needs that are serious and urgent, impacting the ability to meet current program requirements, including funding to adapt or change classrooms that are no longer relevant or being used. In addition, many school boards are dealing with unique circumstances and, as a result, they are being challenged with capital and renewal costs for their aging schools.”

OPSBA also notes that “serious concerns have recently been expressed regarding capital projects being put on hold or facing delayed final approvals.” and emphasizes that, “where the evidence is clear, schools need to be built to accommodate future population and program growth as well as the elements of a school building beyond classrooms that foster student achievement and well-being.”

Finally, OPSBA highlights that “the federal government recently announced details for the Climate Action Incentive Fund (CAIF) and available funding for schools.”

Questions for Candidates for Capital-Related Issues :

  • How can the federal government include dedicated funding that can be directed to school boards for their capital needs?
  • How can the government promote similar funding sources/opportunities for school boards

When will Minister Lecce Release Updated School Disrepair Information?

September 24, 2019

It has been almost two years since our provincial government updated and released Facilities Condition Index (FCI) data and disrepair data for all of Ontario’s publicly funded schools in October 2017. At that time, there was $15.9-billion of disrepair in all of Ontario’s publicly funded schools.

As per the Ministry of Education website:

  1. “Making sure that Ontario’s school buildings are in a good state of repair is essential for supporting student achievement and well-being.“
  2. “The Government of Ontario is committed to increasing the transparency of its historic investments in school infrastructure so that Ontarians can see the importance of this funding and the results it yields over time. That is why the Ministry of Education is ensuring that the most recent results from its School Condition Assessment Program are readily available to the public. Through this program, independent, third-party facility inspectors conduct assessments to obtain data on the current condition of all open and operating schools across the province. The Facility Condition Index (FCI) is derived from the information that is collected through this process.“
  3. “The government believes it is important that Ontarians can access such critical information about their local schools. As the government commits significant investments toward school repair and renewal, Ontarians have the right to a transparent resource for determining the necessity of such investments, and also for monitoring the results of these investments.“

Fix Our Schools wholeheartedly agrees with the Ministry of Education on these three points and, therefore, urges Education Minister Lecce to update disrepair data for schools annually and publicly release this data as soon as possible. We must understand whether current levels of provincial funding to address school disrepair is, in fact, serving to reduce the $15.9-billion of disrepair in Ontario’s schools – and if these current levels of provincial funding are reducing the disrepair quickly enough to ensure that all Ontario students attend schools that are safe, healthy and well-maintained.

In this spirit, we ask Minister Lecce to please release updated school disrepair data, in the same format as was released in October, 2017, as soon as possible.

All Education Workers Play a Critical Role in Our Children’s Schools

September 19, 2019

$15.9-billion of disrepair has been allowed to accumulate in Ontario’s publicly funded schools because of gross provincial underfunding to school boards for over two decades.

  • Underfunding of school renewal and repairs
  • Underfunding of operational maintenance
  • Underfunding of new schools

Operational maintenance is carried out by the very important people in our children’s schools known as caretakers and custodians.

 

These hard-working individuals are the people who may set up tables in your children’s school gymnasium each day to transform it into a lunchroom. They may be the people who enable a community event to readily take place at your local school. They are most certainly the people who clean your children’s schools and take care of many routine maintenance items. They are also the people who are charged with the task of “flushing the lead pipes” every morning to ensure lead doesn’t get into our children’s drinking water at school.

https://twitter.com/Veeshandle/status/1174291662568349697?s=20

A good caretaker can work magic and make an older school with a number of outstanding larger repairs still feel safe, clean, healthy and generally a pleasant place to be for 6-8 hours each day.

According to economist Hugh Mackenzie, increased provincial funding for operational maintenance is a key component of an overall provincial funding strategy that would enable school boards to truly Fix Ontario’s Schools and eliminate the $15.9-billion repair backlog in schools. Mackenzie estimated that an 8.7% increase in provincial funding of operational maintenance was needed – totaling $165-million/year.

And yet, under Doug Ford’s government, we know that as of September 2019, there were 53 fewer caretakers in the TDSB’s 600 schools. We don’t have data yet for other school boards. However, we do know that more – not less – caretakers and custodians are needed to ensure all Ontario children attend schools that are safe, healthy and well-maintained.  We also know that Education Assistants and other Education Workers such as office staff all play an important role in ensuring our children’s schools are safe, clean and welcoming each day.

It’s Official Canadians, the 2019 Federal Election is Underway

September 17, 2019

Justin Trudeau visited Rideau Hall last week to meet with Governor General Julie Payette to ask her to dissolve Parliament, which officially triggers the federal election to be held in Canada this coming October 21.

With the coming election means federal candidates will be knocking on your door and seeking your support. If you value a strong publicly funded education system for Canadian children, we urge you to ask your local candidates how they plan to ensure federal funding goes towards fixing Canadian public school buildings. We realize that, with the exception of First Nations education, public education is a provincial responsibility in Canada. However, we believe strongly that all Canadian public buildings we call schools could justifiably receive federal infrastructure dollars to ensure they are safe, healthy, well-maintained buildings. After all, federal infrastructure dollars routinely go towards infrastructure like curling rinks and hockey arenas!

We urge you to engage wholeheartedly with the federal election process since every election is an opportunity. An opportunity to ensure that issues of importance to you are discussed. An opportunity to gain commitments for positive change. An opportunity to make a difference.

Canadians value high-quality public education and universally believe that all Canadian students, including Indigenous students, ought to spend their days learning in buildings that are safe, healthy, clean and well-maintained. If we delineate the eduation that gets delivered from the critical public infrastructure called schools, there is an easy path for our Federal government to commit infrastructure funding to repairing and renewing Canadian’s schools.

Minister Phillips: $74.5-million of Disrepair in Ajax Schools

September 12, 2019

Dear Minister Phillips,

Did you know there is $74.5-million of disrepair in the publicly funded schools in your riding of Ajax, including Archbishop Denis O’Connor Catholic High School pictured below?

We wanted to share the following details of disrepair in each school in your riding in the hope that this detailed information would underscore the importance of developing standards of good repair for Ontario schools and also the importance of providing the adequate, stable provincial funding to school boards required for them to meet those new standards and eliminate the $15.9-billion repair backlog that plagues Ontario’s schools:

Total disrepair in each publicly funded school in Ajax Riding:

Archbishop Denis O’Connor C.H.S  $         4,184,824
Notre Dame C.S.S  $         1,035,624
St. Andre’ Bessette C.S.  $              63,013
St. Catherine of Siena C.S.  $         2,248,617
St. Francis de Sales C.S.  $         2,778,161
St. James C.S.  $         1,390,879
St. Jude C.S.  $         2,098,446
St. Patrick C.S.  $         1,876,170
St. Teresa of Calcutta C.S.  $            260,742
Ajax HS  $      11,516,687
Alexander Graham Bell PS  $            935,905
Applecroft PS  $         1,255,456
Bolton C Falby PS  $         8,505,245
Cadarackque PS  $         1,656,130
Carruthers Creek Public School  $            295,025
Dr Roberta Bondar PS  $         1,955,159
Duffin’s Bay PS  $         2,950,248
Eagle Ridge Public School  $            598,635
J. Clarke Richardson C.V.I.  $         1,035,624
Lakeside PS  $            596,992
Lester B Pearson PS  $         1,701,381
Lincoln Alexander PS  $         2,278,496
Lincoln Avenue PS  $         2,346,547
Lord Elgin PS  $         1,009,294
Nottingham P.S.  $            304,855
Pickering HS  $         7,597,780
Roland Michener  $         1,605,857
Romeo Dallaire P.S.  $            491,885
Southwood Park PS  $         3,746,898
Terry Fox P.S.  $            745,007
Vimy Ridge P.S.  $            139,960
Westney Heights PS  $         4,285,340
ÉÉC NotreDamedelaJeunesse  Ajax  $            975,151

School conditions matter. They impact student learning, attendance, and health.

We ask that you and your government please prioritize schools as critical infrastructure and take the steps necessary to ensure that the disrepair in all of Ontario’s publicly funded schools is eliminated and that schools are safe, healthy, well-maintained buildings that provide environments conducive to learning and working. We look forward to hearing back from you with details on your plan to Fix Ontario’s Schools.

PLEASE NOTE: Fix Our Schools is relying on the most recent disrepair data provided by the Ministry of Education in Fall 2017 and has mapped postal codes provided by the Ministry for each school to riding postal code information from a third party. Therefore, it is possible that there may be small errors in the data provided here and we would be grateful if community members would contact us with any errors. 

What was trending on Twitter this week about Fixing Ontario’s Schools

September 10, 2019

Fix Our Schools has worked tirelessly since 2014 to ensure that all Ontario children attend safe, healthy, well-maintained schools that are funded by our provincial government as critical infrastructure. We have been so fortunate with the groundswell of support from tens of thousands of people across our province. 

Here are a few interesting conversations from Twitter the week of September 3 – back to school week!

Back to School is such an exciting time of year. An Ottawa architecture firm reminded parents about the $15.9-billion repair backlog in Ontario’s public school buildings:

Caretakers & Custodians across the province worked so hard to make the first day of school special! Here is one of many ways they helped: 

 

One of our followers questioned how the poor condition of school buildings will impact Canadian children’s ability to work in a modern world:

https://twitter.com/Donatella75/status/1169683951516098560?s=20

The Official Opposition Education Critic, Marit Stiles, reminded voters that the Province is the sole funder of public education in Ontario: 

The Cause Project reminded us that there is precedent for condo developers to contribute to the neighbourhoods from which they profit:

One of our followers mentioned a common problem in our aging Ontario school infrastructure… pests:

 

We would like to remind parents, teachers, and students that they can photograph poor conditions in their local school and contribute to the conversation:

 

Why is the Federal Election Important to Fix Our Schools?

September 5, 2019

Four years ago, during the last federal election. the Fix Our Schools campaign was only a year old. At that time, we noticed that federal infrastructure money frequently went to fund community buildings like hockey arenas and curling rinks yet using federal infrastructure money to invest in public schools as critical community infrastructure seemed verboten. In fact, we were so perplexed by this phenomenon that we wrote to all federal candidates in Ontario asking them to consider investing federal money in schools as critical infrastructure. 

Here we are four years later and not much has changed. Public education remains the realm of provincial governments and politicians seem reticent to delineate between the education delivered in school buildings from the actual infrastructure we happen to call school buildings. So once again, as a federal election approaches in Canada, we are confirming that school disrepair remains an issue from coast to coast in Canada. And, we are once again urging all federal parties to invest federal money in improving public school infrastructure from coast to coast.

If you agree that all levels of government ought to contribute to ensuring that all Canadian children attend schools that are safe, healthy and well-maintained, then consider asking these questions to your local federal candidates.

Back to School 2019 – First Time in Years Temperatures May Be Comfortable!

September 3, 2019

As students across Ontario prepare to head back to school this week, comfortable temperatures with daytime highs around 20 degrees are in the forecast for the first September in many years. This weather forecast will mean students, teachers and education workers will be learning and working in fairly comfortable temperatures for the first time in many years! Hurrah!

The vast majority of publicly funded schools across our province do not have air conditioning and the sweltering September temperatures of the past several years has meant unbearably hot class temperatures for many across the province. What a relief that this September, students, teachers and education workers alike can learn and work in comfort!

 

However, even with all the repairs and improvements that have been able to get done this past year at Ontario public schools thanks to stable provincial funding of $1.4-billion/year, the repair backlog at Ontario’s schools remains at a gobsmacking $15.9-billion. Photos of school disrepair vividly depict the types of environments Ontario students routinely face.

And, if we only look at Premier Ford’s riding of Etobicoke North, there is an alarming $178.4-million of disrepair in schools. This disrepair in Etobicoke North schools impacts students in myriad ways. At West Humber Collegiate, which needs $13.9-million of repairs, urgent items include:

  • Fire Alarm System renewal
  • Major Repair to Standard Foundations
  • Roofing

At Elmbank Junior Middle School, which needs $9.4-million of repairs, there are 21 repair items marked urgent!

More provincial funding is needed if we are ever going to eliminate the repair backlog in our children’s schools. In fact, economist Hugh Mackenzie suggests an additional $1.6-billion/year in provincial funding is required for the coming seven years if we are going to truly fix Ontario’s schools.