Legislative Update – October 13, 2020

Archives: OPSBA News Posts

  • Legislative Update – October 13, 2020

    Queen’s Park is now adjourned as MPPs return to their local ridings for a constituency week and will return on October 19. Bill 204, Helping Tenants and Small Businesses Act, 2020 This legislation was introduced on September 17 by Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. As mentioned in previous updates, proposed amendments will…

  • OPSBA Board of Directors Meeting – September 25 and 26, 2020

    The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) Board of Directors held a virtual meeting using the Zoom platform on September 25-26, 2020. Trustee Lucille Kyle, OPSBA’s Alternate First Nations Director, gave an acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the traditional territory of the Indigenous peoples of Ontario.                                        On the evening of September 25,…

  • OPSBA statement on the government’s French language education announcement

    “OPSBA has long been a leader in the development of effective strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of French as a Second Language (FSL) teachers in Ontario. Our Labour Market Partnership initiative, with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, is currently in the final year of a three-year initiative. This was created in response to…

  • Cathy Abraham Re-elected President of OPSBA

    Toronto, September 28, 2020 – The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) is pleased to announce that Cathy Abraham has been re-elected President for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years in its first ever virtual Annual General Meeting held on September 26, 2020, via Zoom. A four-term Trustee and three-time Chair of the Kawartha Pine Ridge…

  • OPSBA releases 2019-20 Annual Report

    The 2019-20 Annual Report of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association is now online and can be found on the OPSBA website, along with previous reports dating back to 2015-16. The Annual Report is OPSBA’s record of highlights and accomplishments related to the Association’s five multi-year strategic priorities: Advocating for the Whole Child and Student…

  • Ontario College of Teachers’ 2019 Annual Report Online

    The Ontario College of Teachers is Ontario’s regulator of the teaching profession and its 2019 Annual Report is available online. The report captures highlights of Council and committee activities from the past year. It also provides demographic data about teachers, including qualifications and countries of initial teacher education, along with historical statistics and financial information.

  • Legislative Update – September 21, 2020

    The Legislative Assembly of Ontario reconvened this week on Monday, September 14, 2020. The government issued a news release, Health Preparedness and Rebuilding the Economy Top Priorities in Ontario’s Fall Legislative Agenda, outlining its priorities for the fall session. The following  is a summary of recent activity. September Return-to-School Plans More Ontario school boards had…

  • CSBA presents an Indigenous Trustees’ Panel

    On October 8, 2020 at 1 p.m., the Canadian School Boards’ Association will be hosting an online trustee panel of Indigenous leaders (via Zoom) to explore their role as trustees. Moderated by Renee St. Germain, the panel includes Trustee Barb Flett; Trustee and Saskatchewan School Boards’ Association Indigenous Constituency Representative Kimberly Greyeyes; Darren Googoo, Director…

  • Legislative Update – August 31, 2020

    The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is adjourned and reconvenes in less than three weeks on September 14. The following summarizes recent items. Federal Support for Return to School On August 26, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced up to $2 billion in support for provinces and territories through the Safe Return to Class Fund. The federal…

  • OPSBA statement regarding the use of reserve funds

    “OPSBA and school boards across the province are frustrated and concerned by the government’s announcement yesterday regarding the use of school boards’ reserve funds to address the increased costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.   The $50 million allocated to improve HVAC systems in schools is a positive step, however, with schools set to reopen in just…

  • Legislative Update – August 7, 2020

    The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is adjourned until September 14, 2020. Please see the following for an update on recent items. September Return to School Plans Following the announcement of last week’s Guide to Reopening Ontario’s Schools that provided details for school boards with direction for their September plans, a group of Ontario hospitals, including…

  • Legislative Update – July 24, 2020

    Members of Provincial Parliament were at Queen’s Park this week for two days only, wrapping up a day earlier than planned. The house adjourned until September 14 — one week after the Labour Day holiday and the same day the fall sitting had been scheduled to begin before the pandemic. The government moved quickly on…