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The Community Edition @[email protected] · 2025-12-05 · 20:32 UTC

ONTARIO PASSES BILL 33, GRANTS MORE POWERS TO GOVERNMENT

Ontario legislature passed the Bill 33, known as the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025 on Nov.19, bringing in major changes to how school boards, children’s aid societies, and post-secondary institutions are governed

The newly passed controversial bill is a piece of legislation that introduces significant changes to the oversight of school boards and post-secondary institutions in Ontario, giving the Minister of Education expanded powers to intervene in local decision-making.

Under this bill, Paul Calandra, Ontario’s minister of education, can take over school boards, mandate collaboration with local police to implement school resource officer programs where available and even remove school board trustees.

The government framed it as a necessary intervention to put school boards back on track, strengthen school safety and allow students to succeed. Calandra took over five school boards using earlier versions of these powers, citing financial mismanagement. He has now signalled that more boards are in his sights under Bill 33.

While the government has framed the bill as necessary for accountability, critics in the post-secondary sector say it increases provincial control without addressing core funding issues.

“Bill 33 hands the Minister more levers to pull and hands universities more paperwork for their already overworked staff,” Bruce Gillespie, president of Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA), said.

“It does not fix the basic problem, which is that Ontario’s universities are being asked to do more and more with less and less public funding,” he said.

Gillespie also raised concerns about the impact on post-secondary institutions. Bill 33 adds compliance requirements and administrative workload for universities without increasing provincial operating funding.

He warned that these new obligations could destabilize student-funded services, such as mental health support, transit and campus media, which directly affect students’ well-being and faculty’s ability to deliver quality education.

Equity-based admissions initiatives are also at risk.

“Equity-based admissions do not lower standards. They recognize that grades are produced inside unequal systems,” Gillespie said.

“Bill 33 gives the government new tools to second-guess those efforts from Queen’s Park, which is exactly the opposite of what we need if we want campuses to reflect the diversity of Ontario,” he said.

Gillespie warns that preserving the authority of university Senates is critical under the new legislation. Senates play a key role in maintaining academic standards and research independence, and Gillespie argues that provincial intervention in admissions and research priorities could undermine academic freedom.

This bill not only impacts post-secondary institutions, but also influences primary and secondary school boards, such as the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB).

“With the passing of Bill 33, the WRDSB will continue to follow the direction and guidance of the Ministry of Education and comply with all provincial legislation,” Scott Miller, director of education at the WRDSB, said.

“Our commitment to supporting student achievement and the well-being of all students remains the highest priority. We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with students, staff, parents, families, caregivers, and community partners to ensure that all decisions and actions reflect the needs and values of those in WRDSB schools and workplaces,” Miller said.

He also said more information about Bill 33 and its changes to the school board will be made available on the WRDSB website.

The government portrays Bill 33 as a measure to improve oversight and student success. Faculty, staff and student representatives across Ontario argue that the legislation prioritizes increased provincial control over the funding crisis, campus services and local governance, leaving many in the education community concerned about its long-term impact.

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The Community Edition @[email protected] · 2025-09-08 · 23:16 UTC

ONTARIO GOVERNMENT INTRODUCES BILL 33, CONCERNS RAISED

On May 29, the Ontario government introduced Bill 33 to legislation.

The Bill offers more power to the premier’s office over school boards while tightening oversight of children’s aid societies, colleges and universities.

The Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, Bill 33, would amend four major laws—including the Education Act and the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.

First, Bill 33 introduces new administrative and fiscal oversight measures for children’s aid societies, such as providing information about the Ombudsman to children and youth, reviewing by-laws and making them available to the public, obtaining ministerial approval for financial decisions that impact approved budgets, and expanding the definition of “institution” to include maternity homes.

It also makes changes to the residing Education Act, where there will be more ministerial oversight and new cooperation requirements for Ontario school boards, with requirements such as: submitting to increased ministerial authority, where the education minister has more supremacy to investigate school boards, issue binding directives to the public and establish guidelines on board expenses.

Other requirements include obtaining ministerial approval for the name of a new school or changing the name of an existing school, collaborating with police services on school programming, and implementing internal audits conducted by the ministry to enhance financial accountability.

Scott Miller, director of education for the Waterloo Region District School Board, said the board will continue to work with local police and the community if the legislation passes.

“The Waterloo Region District School Board [WRDSB] prioritizes safe, inclusive and welcoming learning environments for all students,” Miller said. “As a school board, we work closely with the Waterloo Regional Police Service [WRPS] to support the safety and well-being of WRDSB school communities. Bill 33 is still under review but if the bill is passed, we will continue to engage thoughtfully with our community partners, staff, students, parents and families to ensure decisions reflect the needs and values of WRDSB school communities.”

Beyond K-12 schools, the bill also targets Ontario’s colleges and universities.

The Bill amends the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Act, focusing on admissions practices, research security and fee regulations. They plan to implement publicly accessible, merit-based admission standards, with details to be defined through regulation, develop and implement research security plans to safeguard and mitigate the risk of harm to or interference with research activities, and comply with government regulations regarding ancillary student fees, which may restrict fee structures and affect funding for student services.

The Ministry of Colleges and Universities also received a new name: the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. This change, along with the new requirements for colleges and universities to develop and implement research security plans, reflects heightened governmental focus on research security.

“At this point, the university, along with our Ontario post-secondary education peers, is closely monitoring the legislative discussion of the proposed Bill 33 and its potential impacts on universities,” Aonghus Kealy, Communications and Media Relations Officer at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) said.

Bruce Gillespie, President of the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association (WLUFA), emphasized that there are more risks involved in this bill than benefits.

“It centralizes control over admissions, enables ministerial directives for research security, and broadens authority over student fees,” Gillespie said. “Universities already publish admission standards and safeguard research; layering new directives and fee controls adds red tape and cost without fixing chronic underfunding.”

He added that the bill will burden staff and students at post-secondary institutions such as WLU.

“It increases compliance workload and puts student-funded services at risk, while the real issue-operating funding—goes unaddressed,” Gillespie said.

He also explains that if provincial rules destabilize student-funded services (from peer supports to transit and campus media), the unmet need doesn’t disappear; it shows up in classrooms and office hours. Faculty across ranks, and especially contract faculty, will end up doing more informal advising, crisis triage and support with fewer resources.

Gillespie said he opposed the bill, arguing it undermines the autonomy of admissions and fees, risks weakening equity initiatives, and expands oversight that bypasses normal scrutiny, without improving teaching, research, or student supports. He hopes that Bill 33 will either remove or substantially amend the bill to protect equity-based admissions in statute, avoid fee controls that destabilize student services, and provide transparent, consultative research-security guidance.

“On governance, the province should explicitly preserve Senate authority over academic matters and commit to meaningful consultation with students, not just anonymous surveys,” Gillespie said.

As Bill 33 moves through legislative debate, its impact on Ontario’s education and child welfare systems remains a central concern for educators, administrators and policymakers alike.

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