Community Hubs were a part of the Ministry of Education’s Renewed Vision for Education from September 2014 to June 2018.
In 2014, then Education Minister Liz Sandals was tasked with working with the Ministers of Health, Municipal Affairs and others to consult with stakeholders and develop a policy that supports the development of community hubs. She was also asked to work with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to “improve interactions between school boards and municipalities to ensure effective land-use planning.”
In June 2015, OPSBA provided its first Submission to the Premier’s Special Advisor on Community Hubs. This was followed by a Joint School Board Association Submission in December 2015. In August 2015, the provincial government released Community Hubs: A Strategic Framework and Action Plan. A one-year progress update on Community Hubs in Ontario was released in August 2016, followed by a two-year progress report in August 2017.
Resources and OPSBA Submissions
- https://www.ontario.ca/page/community-hubs – information on how to develop partnerships, how to operate sustainable hubs, how to measure outcomes, skills training and professional development, data and tools for community planning, and
connecting with others who have been there before - Surplus Property Transition Initiative – a government program that helps organizations and groups hold publicly owned properties, such as schools, hospitals or other buildings that are no longer in use or have been deemed surplus, for up to 18 months. (application deadline was Oct. 16, 2017)
- April 21, 2017 – Ministry of Education news release re: rural and remote education review: Ontario Seeking Public Input on Strengthening Rural Education
- March 6, 2017 – Letter from Minister Mitzie Hunter and Minister Bob Chiarelli re: Pupil Accommodation Reviews and education support for rural and remote communities
- Oct. 14, 2016 – Community Hubs funding allocation to boards – memo from the Minister of Education and 2016 B18 Memo – Community Hubs Capital Funding: Minor Retrofits and Accessibility
- Aug. 12, 2016 – One-year progress update on Community Hubs in Ontario
- May 2016 – Government News Release: Ontario Helping More Schools Become Community Hubs
- Ministry of Education 2016 B9 Memo: Ministry of Education Initiatives to Support Community Hubs
- Ministry of Education 2016 SB16 Memo: Amendments to Ontario Regulation 444/98 – Disposition of Surplus Real Property
- Dec. 18, 2015 – Joint School Board Association Submission to the Premier’s Special Advisory on Community Hubs
- Dec. 10, 2015 – OPSBA Submission on Proposed Reforms to Ontario Regulation 444/98 – Disposition of Surplus Real Property
- Aug. 18, 2015 – OPSBA First Vice-President’s Laurie French’s speaking notes from 2015 Association of Municipalities Ontario Annual Conference
- August 2015 – Community Hubs: A Strategic Framework and Action Plan
- Aug. 10, 2015 – Letter from Minister Liz Sandals to Chairs of School Boards
- April 15, 2015 – OPSBA letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister Liz Sandals regarding the members of the Community Hub Framework Advisory Group
- April 8, 2015 – Premier Kathleen Wynne announces the members of the Community Hubs Framework Advisory Group. The nine members did not include any school board representation.
- March 20, 2015 – Karen Pitre appointed as Special Advisor on Community Hubs, chairing the Premier’s Community Hub Framework Advisory Group.