Trustees in supervised school boards won’t be sworn in after election: Ford government

As millions of voters prepare to cast ballots for their school board trustees, the Ford government is implementing a last-minute change that would continue to sideline elected officials in boards that have been operating under provincial supervision and potentially prevent them from being sworn in.

Eight school boards, representing nearly 40 per cent of Ontario’s elementary and high school population, are currently under the province’s control, with critical decision-making handed over to a single supervisor appointed by the Ford government.

Trustees, meanwhile, have been effectively stripped of all responsibilities, including access to their board emails, the ability to call and attend board meetings, or officially engage with parents.

Ahead of municipal and trustee elections on Oct. 26, the Ministry of Education introduced a new regulation asserting the Ford government’s control over supervised school boards: that only Education Minister Paul Calandra or the school board supervisor can call the first meeting of the newly elected board.

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The first school board meeting after an election, according to the Ontario Public School Boards Association, is traditionally used to swear in trustees and is legally scheduled to take place “no later than seven days after November 15, 2026.”

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A government source confirmed to Global News that trustees “will not be sworn in” until a board meeting officials takes place and will only take their oath of office once the province relinquishes control of the board.

“In boards under supervision, the trustees no longer play a role in the board because their roles have been delegated by the minister to the supervisor,” the source said.

“When they are needed they will be brought in and their first meeting back they will be sworn in.”

The government source said that would apply to five public school boards including: the Toronto District School Board, Peel District School Board, Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Near North District School Board and Thames Valley District School Board.

The only exception, the source said, would be for the three Catholic school boards: Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board and York Catholic District School Board. Trustees there would still have the power to weigh in on denominational issues.

Catholic board trustees would only take their oath once the minister or supervisor schedules the first meeting, with no guarantees on timeline.

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Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, a former TDSB trustee, suggested the province’s position is undemocratic.

“What it says to the people of Ontario is we don’t care how you vote, we don’t care what you think, we’re just going to do whatever we want to do anyways as the government of Ontario,” Stiles said.

“People in those communities, parents, educators expect those trustees to be able to speak for them and and run those school boards. The government is showing no respect for that.”

Calandra has not offered a timeline for when the school board take over will end – leaving trustees in elected board in limbo.