The Ontario Ministry of Education says it provides private schools no funding or financial support, and no regulation, licensing, accreditation or oversight of their operations
Ontario Schools Watch · Record checked October 4, 2026
Is Ontario privatizing its schools?
Direct answer
No, if privatizing means public money for private schools. In the laws, budget and ministry policy we checked, nothing funds private schools, creates vouchers or allows charter schools, and the Minister has said he will not bring in charter schools. What has changed is control. Since 2025, two laws moved power over school boards, land, budgets and bargaining to the Minister. Eight boards are run by provincial supervisors with no end date. The province’s budget watchdog projects real funding per student to fall each year to 2028-29. Think tanks and columnists are openly calling for school choice.
Ontario Ministry of Education, Oct 2, 2026 · Bill 101 (2026) · Financial Accountability Office, Sept 2026 · Verified 2026-10-04
Four things people mean by privatization
The word covers different changes. Each one gets a separate answer, with its sources.
Meaning 1
Public money for private schools
Is Ontario paying for private schools, vouchers or charter schools?
No proposal found.
The Ministry’s own page, updated October 2, 2026, says it gives private schools no funding or financial support. We found no proposal to change that in the 2026 budget, in the two school laws passed in 2025 and 2026, or in the ministry’s releases since August. In December 2025 the Minister said he will not bring in charter schools. Charter schools, as Alberta runs them, are publicly funded but operate outside school boards; their advocates call them public schools.
Sources: Ontario.ca, Private schools (opens in new tab) · 2026 Ontario Budget (opens in new tab) · Bill 101 (2026) (opens in new tab) · CBC News, Dec 5, 2025 (opens in new tab)
Meaning 2
Buying classroom supplies and software from companies
Is the province buying classroom resources from private companies?
Yes, through two purchases. This is buying, not private schools.
Two programs that began in September 2026 run through companies chosen by Supply Ontario. Eligible elementary teachers order supplies from a Staples Canada portal to use their yearly classroom supplies money, and all teachers can use Nelson Education’s Edwin platform for classroom resources. Buying from companies is not the same as funding private schools. At the October 1 estimates hearing, Liberal MPP John Fraser asked why the province chose one company instead of letting teachers submit receipts.
Sources: Ontario.ca, Classroom supplies (opens in new tab) · Ontario news release, Sept 8, 2026 (opens in new tab) · Ontario news release, June 22, 2026 (opens in new tab) · The Trillium, Oct 1, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Meaning 3
Taking decisions away from elected trustees
Have elected school boards lost control?
Partly, to the province.
Eight boards are run by supervisors the province appointed. For every English-language district school board, Bill 101 made the director the chief executive officer, requires the Minister’s written approval before the board can dismiss its director, and moved the employer seat at central bargaining from trustees’ associations to the Council of Ontario Directors of Education. Elected trustees remain, but in these areas the power moved to the province, not to private owners.
Sources: Ontario.ca, School board oversight (opens in new tab) · Bill 101 (2026) (opens in new tab) · Bill 33 (2025) (opens in new tab)
Meaning 4
Selling public school land
Can the province sell schools?
In some cases, yes.
While the province runs a board, the Minister controls the sale of any of its assets. Under Bill 101 he can also direct any board to sell a building or land if he believes it has not followed, or is unlikely to follow, provincial rules for school sites and building work. Those directions must be made public. In Ottawa, a school closed since 2017 was listed for sale in early 2026. The board said it had ministry permission under the province’s formal process and that sale money goes to its capital reserves. That listing was not a direction under the Bill 101 power.
Sources: Bill 33 (2025) (opens in new tab) · Bill 101 (2026) (opens in new tab) · CBC News, Feb 10, 2026 (opens in new tab)
What the Minister can do now
Two laws (Bill 33 in November 2025 and Bill 101 in May 2026), one budget plan and one ministerial statement changed who decides. Each card names its source and the limit it sets.
Boards
Take over a school board
The Minister can order that he controls a board’s affairs when he believes a matter of public interest is at stake. The law says those matters include a board’s programs, student achievement, finances, property and governance. While the order lasts, he controls hiring and firing, spending, debts and the sale of the board’s assets.
Limit: He must end the order once he is of the opinion the board no longer needs it. The law sets no end date. Its wording gives the Minister exclusive jurisdiction to make the order and says that jurisdiction “is not open to question or review in any proceeding or by any court.”
- Law:
- Education Act ss. 230-230.3, 230.5, 230.7(3) and 230.17, as amended by Bill 33
- In force:
- November 20, 2025
Land and buildings
Direct a board to sell land or a building
If the Minister believes a board has not followed, or is unlikely to follow, provincial rules for school sites and building work, he can direct it to sell or dispose of a building, school site or other land. He can also choose a person or body to take over a building project.
Limit: The power is tied to those site and building rules. Every direction must be made available to the public.
- Law:
- Education Act s. 195.0.1, added by Bill 101
- In force:
- May 7, 2026
Sources: Bill 101 (2026) (opens in new tab) · Ontario news release, Aug 20, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Budgets
Approve some boards’ budgets
A board must get the Minister’s approval of its budget estimates in circumstances set by regulation, and he can attach conditions to that approval.
Limit: It applies in the circumstances the regulations set, not to every board automatically.
- Law:
- Education Act s. 232(5.1)-(5.2), added by Bill 101
- In force:
- May 7, 2026
Leadership
Reshape who runs a board day to day
The director of education is now the board’s chief executive officer, with a separate chief education officer for learning. The board cannot dismiss its director without the Minister’s prior written approval.
Limit: These sections apply to English-language district school boards.
- Law:
- Education Act ss. 280(2), 283.0.1 and 283.0.1.1, added by Bill 101
- In force:
- May 7, 2026 (the chief education officer section later, by order)
Trustees
Trustee numbers set between 5 and 12
The regulation that sets each district school board’s size must now give it no fewer than 5 and no more than 12 members.
Limit: Trustees are still elected. Student trustees are not counted in the cap.
- Law:
- Education Act s. 58.1(10)-(11), as amended by Bill 101
- In force:
- May 7, 2026
Bargaining
A new employer seat at the bargaining table
For English-language public and Catholic boards, the Council of Ontario Directors of Education now holds the employer seat at the central table, in place of the trustees’ associations.
Limit: If, in the Minister’s opinion, the council is unable or unwilling to act, he can name another person or body by regulation until central bargaining is done.
- Law:
- School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014, as amended by Bill 101 (Schedule 5)
- In force:
- May 7, 2026
Classrooms
A review of every board’s achievement plan
On September 25, 2026, the Minister directed the ministry to review every board’s Student Achievement Plan and report back to him regularly. He also directed EQAO to investigate a rise in students exempted from provincial tests in some boards.
Limit: Announced in a statement. No results had been reported by October 4, 2026.
- Law:
- Minister’s statement on the 2025-26 EQAO results
- In force:
- September 25, 2026
Source: Minister’s statement, Sept 25, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Money
Property-tax money routed through the province (planned)
The 2026 budget plans that, starting in 2028, municipalities send education property tax straight to the province, which then pays boards.
Limit: The budget says boards “would continue to receive their full funding.” It describes planned legislative changes, not a law already passed.
- Law:
- 2026 Ontario Budget, Chapter 1B
- In force:
- Planned for 2028
This is a plain-language summary of the statutes, not legal advice. Some ways to challenge a decision remain. Read the legal challenge map.
8 boards, no end date
The law’s only exit test is the Minister’s own opinion that a board no longer needs to be run by the province. We found no published criteria or timeline.
| Board | Supervised since | Months | End date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames Valley District School Board | Apr 23, 2025 | 17 | None set |
| Toronto District School Board | Jun 27, 2025 | 15 | None set |
| Toronto Catholic District School Board | Jun 27, 2025 | 15 | None set |
| Ottawa-Carleton District School Board | Jun 27, 2025 | 15 | None set |
| Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board | Jun 27, 2025 | 15 | None set |
| Near North District School Board | Dec 1, 2025 | 10 | None set |
| Peel District School Board | Jan 28, 2026 | 8 | None set |
| York Catholic District School Board | Mar 5, 2026 | 6 | None set |
“So no time soon. I won’t be rushed on this. If it takes four years, it will be four years. If it takes 10 years, it will take 10 years.”
Paul Calandra, Minister of Education, speaking to reporters in Parry Sound about the supervised boards, including Near North, as reported September 16, 2026
Source: My West Nipissing Now, Sept 16, 2026 (opens in new tab)
At his October 1 estimates hearing, the Minister said none of the eight supervised boards had balanced its budget yet, though their finances had improved by $150 million combined (The Trillium, corrected figure).
Asked whether he has budgeted for more supervisors, he said: “I haven’t budgeted for it, but if there are boards that don’t meet the expectations of student achievement… we will not hesitate to step in.”
Paul Calandra, October 1, 2026, as reported by The Trillium
Trustee elections still go ahead. In Near North, a new board of trustees is slated to be elected in October 2026 while the province keeps control.
Sources: The Trillium, Oct 1, 2026 (opens in new tab) · My West Nipissing Now, Sept 16, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Open the board-by-board tracker · Read what supervision means for families
Who is calling for school choice
These groups and writers argue in public for school choice in Ontario. Arguing for a policy is lawful, and we found nothing showing the government has adopted their proposals. Each card links to what they published, so you can read it yourself.
Fraser Institute
Public policy think tank
Calls for: Let some public funding follow students to independent schools, as five other provinces do, and allow Alberta-style charter schools run outside school boards.
Its August 2026 column says the Minister “preemptively ruled this option out last year,” referring to charter schools.
- · Ontario government should get serious about education reform (opens in new tab) (Michael Zwaagstra)
- · Ontario government should increase school choice for families (opens in new tab) (Paige MacPherson)
- · Education minister should rethink opposition to charter schools in Ontario (opens in new tab) (Michael Zwaagstra)
- · School choice can help keep schools open in Ontario (opens in new tab) (Michael Zwaagstra)
Cardus
Think tank
Calls for: Its president co-wrote a 2025 column arguing that some of the public money spent on each child could follow the child to an independent school. Its April 2026 report counts 322 new independent schools founded in Ontario from January 2022 to December 2025.
The 2026 report describes the sector. The schools it surveyed credit their staff and community, not government support.
- · School’s Out for the Status Quo (opens in new tab) (Joanna DeJong VanHof and Jeneya Ko)
- · Why Ontario should allow independent schools (The Hub) (opens in new tab) (Ginny Roth and Brian Dijkema)
Jay Goldberg
Columnist, The Niagara Independent
Calls for: A column saying it is time for the Premier to introduce a school voucher program, and that the Premier and the Minister should give it a serious look.
- · Ford should consider a school voucher program in Ontario (opens in new tab) (The Niagara Independent)
Matthew Lau
Financial Post columnist
Calls for: More school choice in Ontario. The column notes that Ontario, unlike five other provinces, does not let part of families’ taxes follow children to private schools.
- · More choice would help clean up Ontario school mess (opens in new tab) (Financial Post)
SecondStreet.org
Think tank (national)
Calls for: Alberta-style public charter schools in other provinces. Its president called them “definitely worth a look” after a Leger poll it commissioned found 56% of Canadian adults support them in their own province.
National, not Ontario-specific. The poll release gives no Ontario figure, and the September brief uses Alberta test data.
- · POLICY BRIEF: Education Choice Matters (opens in new tab) (SecondStreet.org)
- · NEW POLL: Canadians Want K-12 System to Reverse Several Policies (opens in new tab) (SecondStreet.org)
For our earlier review of independent-school funding advocacy, including the corrections we published, see the funding pathway record.
Reported record funding, less per student after inflation
The government reports record total funding. The province’s budget watchdog reports that funding per student, after inflation, is falling. Both can be true.
The Financial Accountability Office, the Legislature’s independent budget officer, reports real provincial operating funding of $15,140 per student in 2025-26, the second lowest level in ten years after 2024-25 ($15,128). Under the 2026 budget plan it projects a fall every year, to $14,775 in 2028-29: $365 less than in 2025-26, and $353 below the decade’s lowest year.
| School year | Real funding per student | Actual or projected |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | $15,760 | Actual |
| 2017-18 | $15,389 | Actual |
| 2018-19 | Not usable as printed | Actual |
| 2019-20 | $15,142 | Actual |
| 2020-21 | $15,931 | Actual |
| 2021-22 | $15,248 | Actual |
| 2022-23 | $15,227 | Actual |
| 2023-24 | $15,483 | Actual |
| 2024-25 | $15,128 | Actual |
| 2025-26 | $15,140 | Actual |
| 2026-27 | $15,074 | Projected |
| 2027-28 | $14,850 | Projected |
| 2028-29 | $14,775 | Projected |
The government reports $30.6 billion in Core Education Funding for 2026-27 and calls it part of “record investments.” Both can be true at once: total dollars can rise while funding per student, after inflation, falls.
Source: Ontario news release, Sept 8, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The Minister told a committee on April 27, 2026 that funding is a per-student model and that he had asked supervisors for an assessment of the current funding formula “to see if it’s meeting the needs of kids.”
Source: Committee transcript, Apr 27, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The FAO reports the trend and does not give a reason for it. Neither do we. Its 2025 review used 2024-25 dollars, so its figures are not compared with these.
Special education: the inclusion review
The Minister says the ministry is examining how students with special education needs are taught. No decision has been announced.
On October 1, 2026, after a three-hour estimates hearing, the Minister told reporters the ministry is examining whether the inclusion model works for students with special education needs. He said it is gathering information from boards and looking at better tracking of IEPs from one grade to the next. No decision has been announced.
“The inclusion model — is it working? Can it be made better?”
Paul Calandra, October 1, 2026, as reported by The Trillium
In May 2026 the Auditor General found that the impact of the shift to inclusive classrooms had not been evaluated. In its anonymous survey, 21% of teachers in inclusive classrooms said they could meet most of their special education students’ needs most of the time, and 87% said they only sometimes, rarely or never had the resources to carry out an IEP well.
“Inclusion without support is abandonment.”
Aislinn Clancy, Green MPP, Standing Committee on Social Policy, April 27, 2026, five months before the review was announced
The Minister’s September 25 statement also ordered EQAO to look into a rise in exemptions from provincial tests. It says exemptions “are intended for students who are unable to complete an assessment, even with permitted accommodations.”
Source: Minister’s statement, Sept 25, 2026 (opens in new tab)
In their own words
The government and its critics, quoted from the record. Reported paraphrases are marked as such.
What the government says
“We do not provide any of the following for private schools: funding or financial support; regulation; licensing; accreditation; oversight of operations.”
Ontario Ministry of Education, Private schools page, last updated,
He said definitively he will not close or amalgamate school boards, merge the public and Catholic systems, or introduce charter schools.
Paul Calandra, Minister of Education,
As reported by CBC News and The Canadian Press. This is the report’s wording, not a quote.
“The funding formula is based on student enrolment, so obviously, when student enrolment goes down, certain areas of education are readjusted.”
Paul Calandra, Minister of Education, Question Period,
The government describes its plan as building “a strong, accountable and well-supported public education system.”
Government of Ontario, Back-to-school news release,
Source: Ontario news release, Sept 8, 2026 (opens in new tab)
It says Bill 101 gives the ministry “stronger tools to intervene in the capital planning process when boards are unable to deliver projects in the best interests of students and educators.”
Government of Ontario, News release on new schools,
Source: Ontario news release, Aug 20, 2026 (opens in new tab)
What critics say
“I’ve never witnessed a government that is so intent on driving the public out of the public education system.”
David Mastin, President, Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario,
Speaking to CBC News during contract talks. ETFO is a party to the current bargaining.
He called it “a government that has a religion of privatization.”
Tom Rakocevic, NDP MPP, debate on Bill 101,
She said the bill is about power and ideology, and that “it’s also about breaking the system so badly, parents with money will send their kids to private schools.”
Lise Vaugeois, NDP MPP, debate on Bill 101,
He called Bill 101 “another step towards—dismantling our public and Catholic schools and privatizing the system.”
Chris Glover, NDP MPP, Standing Committee on Social Policy,
Source: Committee transcript, Apr 30, 2026 (opens in new tab)
“They’re selling schools.”
John Fraser, Liberal MPP, debate on Bill 101,
He pointed to the former Grant school in Ottawa, listed for sale earlier in 2026. The board said it had ministry permission under the formal process and that proceeds go to capital reserves.
The union’s policies oppose public funds or tax rebates for charter schools and private schools, and any program based on vouchers.
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, Standing policy, adopted,
Common claims, checked
Claims heard in public debate about Ontario schools, each set against the record. Where a named person made the claim, we quote them.
The claim
Ontario is about to fund private schools.
Not supported by the record
No law, bill or budget line we checked does this. The Ministry says it gives private schools no funding or financial support.
Sources: Ontario.ca, Private schools (opens in new tab) · 2026 Ontario Budget (opens in new tab)
The claim
The Minister is bringing in charter schools.
The Minister has said he will not
He said in December 2025 he will not. In August 2026 a Fraser Institute column urging charter schools said he had ruled them out.
Sources: CBC News, Dec 5, 2025 (opens in new tab) · Fraser Institute, Aug 4, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The claim
The Minister can sell schools to anyone, any time.
Narrower than stated
NDP MPP Chris Glover said on April 30, 2026 that the fall bill gave the Minister “the power to sell schools to anyone any time he wants.” Bill 33 gives the Minister control over the sale of a board’s assets while the province runs that board. Bill 101 lets him direct a sale where he believes a board broke, or is likely to break, site and building rules, and the direction must be public. Neither power covers every school at any time.
Sources: Committee transcript, Apr 30, 2026 (opens in new tab) · Bill 33 (2025) (opens in new tab) · Bill 101 (2026) (opens in new tab)
The claim
The takeovers are temporary.
No end date
The law sets no end date. The Minister says he will not be rushed, “if it takes four years” or “10 years.”
Sources: Bill 33 (2025) (opens in new tab) · My West Nipissing Now, Sept 16, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The claim
Funding per student is falling.
Supported, after inflation
In real terms, yes. The FAO projects real per-student operating funding to fall each year to $14,775 in 2028-29. The government reports record total funding in dollars.
Sources: FAO, Sept 23, 2026 (opens in new tab) · Ontario news release, Sept 8, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The claim
The 2028 property-tax change will cut boards’ money.
Budget says boards keep full funding; no bill yet
The budget says boards would keep receiving their full funding, paid by the province instead of partly by municipalities. It is a planned change that needs legislation.
The claim
Special education support is being changed.
Under review
The Minister says the ministry is examining whether the inclusion model works. No change has been announced.
What to watch next
These are the next points where the record could change. We will update this page when they do.
The inclusion review
What the ministry decides about how students with special education needs are taught.
EQAO’s report on exemptions
Why more students were exempted from provincial tests in some boards, and what follows.
Source: Minister’s statement, Sept 25, 2026 (opens in new tab)
Any public direction to sell
Bill 101 requires every direction to sell a building or land to be made public. Watch for the first one.
The funding formula assessment
The Minister asked supervisors for an assessment of the current formula “to see if it’s meeting the needs of kids.”
Source: Committee transcript, Apr 27, 2026 (opens in new tab)
The 2028 property-tax bill
The legislation the budget says is needed to route education property tax through the province.
The October 1 transcript
The official record of the estimates hearing, which was not yet posted on October 4. It will let readers check the Minister’s exact words.
What this page does not claim
- That the Minister, the Premier or the government plans to fund private schools, create vouchers or allow charter schools.
- That any school has been or will be sold to a particular buyer.
- That anyone named here broke a law or a rule. Arguing for school choice in public is lawful.
- That the inclusion review, special education funding or any other change to special education is a step toward funding private schools. We tested that reading earlier and withdrew it.
- That falling real funding per student is a deliberate strategy. The FAO reports the trend. It does not give a reason, and neither do we.
- That we know anyone’s motives. We report what the laws allow and what people said, with links to every source.
No allegation of wrongdoing is made or implied about any person or organization named on this page.
Questions people ask
Not in the sense of paying for private schools. We found no law, budget line or ministry policy that funds private schools, creates vouchers or allows charter schools, and the Minister has ruled out charter schools. Control has moved to the province instead: eight boards are run by provincial supervisors, and laws passed in 2025 and 2026 gave the Minister new powers over land, budgets, leadership and bargaining. Two new programs also buy classroom supplies and software from companies chosen through Supply Ontario.
No. The Ministry of Education says it provides private schools no funding or financial support, and no regulation, licensing, accreditation or oversight of operations.
In some cases. While the province runs a board, the Minister controls the sale of its assets. Under Bill 101 he can also direct any board to sell a building or land if he believes it has not followed, or is unlikely to follow, provincial rules for school sites and building work. Those directions must be made public.
There is no end date. The law lets the Minister end an order when he believes a board no longer needs it. In September 2026 he said he will not be rushed, whether it takes four years or ten.
The government reports record funding: $30.6 billion in Core Education Funding for 2026-27. After inflation, funding per student is falling. The Financial Accountability Office projects real provincial operating funding of $14,775 per student in 2028-29, down from $15,140 in 2025-26.
Ontario Regulation 181/98 sets out how every board identifies students, decides placements and writes Individual Education Plans. A provincial takeover changes who runs a board. It does not repeal that regulation. On October 1, 2026, the Minister said the ministry is examining whether the inclusion model works. No change has been announced. Keep written records and ask for decisions in writing. This is general information, not legal advice.
How we checked
On October 4, 2026 we read Bill 33 and Bill 101 in the official e-Laws text, the 2026 budget, Ministry of Education pages and news releases, the Hansard and committee transcripts quoted here, the Financial Accountability Office’s 2026 review and its data table, and each article and column linked on this page.
The October 1, 2026 estimates transcript was not yet posted, so the Minister’s words from that day come from The Trillium’s report. We will check them against Hansard when it is published. We did not search lobbying or donation records again for this page.
Found an error? Tell us through the contact page. Corrections are published, not quietly made.
Follow what the province does next
Every major provincial action on Ontario schools, dated and sourced, with what it means for families.
Evidence for this record
| Date | Record | Publisher | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-02 | Private schoolsVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Ministry of Education | Government source |
| 2026-05-07 | Putting Student Achievement First Act, 2026, S.O. 2026, c. 4 (Bill 101)Verified 2026-10-04 | Government of Ontario (e-Laws) | Government source |
| 2026-09-23 | Ministry of Education: 2026 Spending Plan ReviewVerified 2026-10-04 | Financial Accountability Office of Ontario | Government source |
| 2026-03-26 | 2026 Ontario Budget, Chapter 1B: CostsVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Ministry of Finance | Government source |
| 2025-12-05 | Ontario education minister to make decision on school trustee elimination in early 2026Verified 2026-10-04 | CBC News / The Canadian Press (Allison Jones) | Research source |
| 2026-09-04 | Funding for elementary classroom suppliesVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Ministry of Education | Government source |
| 2026-09-08 | Ontario Putting Student Achievement First as Students Return to SchoolVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Newsroom (Ministry of Education) | Government source |
| 2026-06-22 | Ontario Investing $60 Million to Upgrade Student Learning ResourcesVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Newsroom (Ministry of Education) | Government source |
| 2026-10-01 | Education minister signals potential changes to Ontario’s special education modelVerified 2026-10-04 | The Trillium (Tina Yazdani) | Research source |
| 2026-05-29 | School board oversightVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Ministry of Education | Government source |
| 2025-11-20 | Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, S.O. 2025, c. 12 (Bill 33)Verified 2026-10-04 | Government of Ontario (e-Laws) | Government source |
| 2026-02-10 | Councillor, MPP slam private sale of former OCDSB schoolVerified 2026-10-04 | CBC News (Jayden Dill) | Research source |
| 2026-08-20 | Ontario Opening 35 New and Expanded Schools This SeptemberVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Newsroom (Ministry of Education) | Government source |
| 2026-09-25 | Ontario Releases 2025-26 EQAO ResultsVerified 2026-10-04 | Ontario Newsroom (Minister of Education) | Government source |
| 2026-09-16 | Province won’t relinquish control of Near North Board ‘anytime soon’Verified 2026-10-04 | My West Nipissing Now (Andrew Mendler) | Research source |
| 2026-04-27 | Standing Committee on Social Policy, April 27, 2026Verified 2026-10-04 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Government source |
| 2026-05-12 | Special Report on Special Education NeedsVerified 2026-10-04 | Office of the Auditor General of Ontario | Government source |
| 2026-08-04 | Ontario government should get serious about education reformVerified 2026-10-04 | Fraser Institute (Michael Zwaagstra) | Community source |
| 2026-05-07 | Ontario government should increase school choice for familiesVerified 2026-10-04 | Fraser Institute (Paige MacPherson) | Community source |
| 2026-03-07 | Education minister should rethink opposition to charter schools in OntarioVerified 2026-10-04 | Fraser Institute (Michael Zwaagstra) | Community source |
| 2025-10-23 | School choice can help keep schools open in OntarioVerified 2026-10-04 | Fraser Institute (Michael Zwaagstra) | Community source |
| 2026-04-28 | School’s Out for the Status Quo: How Ontario’s 300+ New Independent Schools Reflect the Desire for Educational AlternativesVerified 2026-10-04 | Cardus (Joanna DeJong VanHof and Jeneya Ko) | Community source |
| 2025-07-15 | Ginny Roth and Brian Dijkema: Why Ontario should allow independent schools and unlock true choice in educationVerified 2026-10-04 | The Hub (opinion) | Community source |
| 2026-09-15 | Ford should consider a school voucher program in OntarioVerified 2026-10-04 | The Niagara Independent (Jay Goldberg) | Community source |
| 2026-08-25 | Matthew Lau: More choice would help clean up Ontario school messVerified 2026-10-04 | Financial Post (opinion) | Community source |
| 2026-09-22 | POLICY BRIEF: Education Choice MattersVerified 2026-10-04 | SecondStreet.org | Community source |
| 2026-03-31 | NEW POLL: Canadians Want K-12 System to Reverse Several PoliciesVerified 2026-10-04 | SecondStreet.org | Community source |
| 2026-04-16 | Hansard, April 16, 2026Verified 2026-10-04 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Government source |
| 2026-08-20 | Province optimistic, education unions frustrated by stall in Ontario teachers’ contract negotiationsVerified 2026-10-04 | CBC News (Arrthy Thayaparan) | Research source |
| 2026-04-14 | Hansard, April 14, 2026Verified 2026-10-04 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Government source |
| 2026-04-30 | Standing Committee on Social Policy, April 30, 2026Verified 2026-10-04 | Legislative Assembly of Ontario | Government source |
| 1998 | Policy StatementsVerified 2026-10-04 | Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario | Research source |
| 1998 | O. Reg. 181/98: Identification and Placement of Exceptional PupilsVerified 2026-10-04 | Government of Ontario (e-Laws) | Government source |
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Guides and tools related to this page.
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Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
Facts5
Sources6
Since May 7, 2026, the Education Act lets the Minister direct a school board to sell a building or land if he believes it has not followed, or is unlikely to follow, provincial rules for school sites and building work, and every such direction must be made public
The Financial Accountability Office reports real provincial operating funding to school boards of $15,140 per student in 2025-26 and projects $14,775 in 2028-29, in 2026-27 constant dollars
Under Ontario Regulation 181/98, an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC) can place a student in a special education program. Once that placement starts, the principal has 30 school days to make sure an Individual Education Plan (IEP) is completed. Ministry policy (PPM 140) also lets boards write IEPs for students who have not been formally identified by an IPRC
up to 72%
Educational Assistants were absent on an average of 18% of school days in 2023/24, and between 49% and 72% of those absences went unfilled at sampled boards
Last system verification: 2026-08-10. Next scheduled update: 2026-11-05.
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