Thunder Bay school trustees stress the importance of the role, as Bill 33 passes final vote at Queen's Park

Trustees with the Lakehead District School Board say it is important that the provincial government understands the complexities of public education in northwestern Ontario if it ever decides to take over the school board.

On Wednesday, the Ontario government’s Bill 33 passed its third and final vote at Queen’s Park, granting the Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, expanded powers to place public school boards under provincial supervision. When boards are placed under supervision, publicly elected school board trustees are effectively removed from their duties and responsibilities.

Leah Vanderwey says the Lakehead District School Board is unique in that it serves rural, remote and urban areas, something she says is vastly different from school boards in other parts of Ontario. She says the board’s trustees have been critical in advocating for the needs of students in the region, citing student transportation as a prime example.

“A lot of our streets don’t have sidewalks, and we get snow and it’s minus 25,” said Vanderwey, who serves as chair of the school board. “We’ve had those letters as well that we’ve sent to the Ministry of Education with our concerns because one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to transportation.”

In August, Calandra told the CBC that he’s open to eliminating the role of school board trustees across the province. Vanderwey says the possibility of eliminating trustees brings further concerns about the future of Indigenous and student trustees in the school board.

The new legislation also mandates that all public school boards in Ontario open “student and family support” offices by next September. These offices will allow parents to raise issues and get answers to concerns over their child’s education, a responsibility currently held by trustees.

Ron Oikonen, a trustee with the Lakehead District School Board since 1988, says a major risk with any provincially appointed supervisor or office is how well they know the region.

“Do they know the area? You know, that’s a big concern. Do they know what our population’s made-up with the breakdown or demographics, the whole kit and caboodle,” asked Oikonen.

Calandra says the bill allows him to fix school boards which have become dysfunctional. So far, the province has placed five school boards under provincial supervision, with each board experiencing financial difficulties before the province took them over.

Oikonen says the Lakehead District School Board shouldn’t be in danger of being placed under supervision for financial reasons, as it has routinely ensured its budgets are within provincial guidelines. 

However, the new bill provides the ministry the ability to place boards under supervision for reasons extending beyond financial infractions, including matters of public interest. 

“Every school board is different and it’s the local people that know their area, and they know their students and they know the needs,” Oikonen said. “All the boards up in northwestern Ontario, each one’s a little different, but we’re a lot different than southern Ontario and Toronto. So that’s one aspect I’d hate to lose.”