Ontario takes control of London school board, launches probes at 3 others
CBC
Ontario has taken control of one school board over financial mismanagement, launched financial probes of three other boards and ordered a fifth board to repay costs for a trip to Italy to buy art.
New Education Minister Paul Calandra says he is increasing accountability and transparency measures to address "failures" at several boards.
He says boards must use public funds to directly benefit students and provide resources needed by teachers and educators.
Calandra has ordered the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to repay the cost of the board trip to Italy, as well as the $100,000 spent on art.
School board officials said in November 2024 they'd pay back the $50,000 they spent during the art-buying trip, including money spent on deluxe hotel rooms, a limo ride and $1,600 gourmet dinner.
The province has appointed a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board, in London, after it conducted a review in the wake of a staff retreat to Toronto that cost about $40,000 and included a stay at the hotel connected to the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play.
School board leadership revealed the price tag of sending 18 staffers to the retreat in September 2024, prompting sharp criticism from education unions and the public.
It happened at the same time the board was facing a $7.6 million budget deficit and teachers were dealing with shortages of classroom supplies.
The province is also launching investigations at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) over ongoing financial deficits and spending concerns.
This week, the TDSB told parents in a memo it has launched its annual budget process.
Ontario’s workplace safety board is defending an advertising campaign that critics say is designed to improve its reputation, with some saying the funds should be spent helping injured workers.
The University of Guelph says it’s investigating after a recent pub night saw students using racist, antisemitic, anti-Black and homophobic language as well as “the appearance of hate symbols.”
The owner of the MV Ancier has been fined for a fuel spill that happened in Charlottetown Harbour two years ago, CBC News has learned.
Joy SpearChief-Morris is the recipient of the 2025 CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship, established to encourage Indigenous voices and better understanding of Indigenous issues in Canada's major media and community outlets.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is huddling with his cabinet in Quebec City to chart out the government's plan for the new year after using a closely watched moment on the world stage earlier this week to condemn the U.S. administration and signal a pivot for Canada.
In a whiplash-inducing U-turn, U.S. President Donald Trump suddenly dropped his insistence on taking control of Greenland, mere hours after laying out at great length his rationale for ownership of the Arctic island.
The Crown reached a milestone at provincial court in St. John’s on Wednesday afternoon, as prosecutor Deidre Badcock wrapped up her case in a trial that began last summer.
The Nova Scotia government could pay Shannex more than $2 billion over the life of the contract to operate a transitional care facility in West Bedford, a figure senior health officials say might seem large but will actually amount to an overall savings for the system.
The responsibility and budget for New Brunswick seniors and long-term care will now fall under a dedicated seniors minister, the province announced Wednesday.
A flock of angry bird-lovers influenced a decision before Winnipeg city council that could've done away with bylaw protections designed to reduce bird deaths — were it not for all the chirping from the public.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority listed a project on SaskTenders, the provincial procurement website, earlier this month, inviting bids to create a service to anonymously report when “employees and others are suspected of violating SHA policies, codes of conduct or conflict of interest rules.”
A Saskatchewan couple faces immigration-related provincial charges connected with their employment of foreign workers at restaurants in Humboldt and North Battleford.
Defendants in the lawsuit filed by former Vancouver FC head coach Afshin Ghotbi over non-repayment of a $500,000 loan say the court action amounts to "blackmail by litigation."