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- calendar_today October 29, 2026
Education Minister Changes Course on Swearing In Trustees
Ontario's Education Minister Paul Calandra has announced he will allow elected trustees at school boards under provincial supervision to be sworn in, marking a reversal from his earlier plan to delay their official induction. Calandra cited concerns that leaving trustees unsworn could risk breaches of the code of conduct, as they would not technically hold office.
Background: Provincial Supervision of School Boards
This development comes more than a year after the provincial government, under Premier Doug Ford, placed several major school boards under direct control. Supervised boards now operate with provincial appointees rather than their elected trustees, who have seen their powers sidelined and pay suspended. Boards affected include the Toronto public and Toronto Catholic boards, the two in Peel Region, and the Ottawa Carleton board, among others.
Implications for Elected Trustees
In the most recent elections, trustees seeking to represent English-speaking public supervised boards faced uncertainty about whether they would be officially sworn in. Without the swearing-in, successful candidates would not formally become trustees, though their influence under supervision is already limited. Trustees at supervised Catholic boards, however, were always scheduled to be sworn in, owing to their constitutionally protected faith-related duties.
Concerns About Code of Conduct and Upcoming Action
Minister Calandra told reporters at Queen's Park, "It had been my intention, in all honesty, to delay the swearing in." But he said he learned that some trustees were discussing the possibility that if not sworn in, they would not be subject to the board's code of conduct. "Almost immediately, many of them started talking about how by not being sworn in, they wouldn’t be subject to the code of conduct and some of them seemed to be excited by that," Calandra stated. He therefore decided that all trustees will now be sworn in.
Toronto Trustee Responds with Calls for Meetings
Maria Rizzo, a Toronto Catholic trustee, expressed frustration with the government's actions and plans to hold her own public meetings, even as she remains sidelined. Rizzo suggested convening a "school board in exile," with meetings to take place in publicly accessible locations such as church basements and libraries and to be live-streamed—something the province had restricted for supervised boards. Asked about the possibility of violating codes of conduct, Rizzo said she welcomed the decision to swear in all trustees but questioned the government's motives.
Trustee Roles Remain Limited Under Supervision
The responsibilities of Ontario school trustees have been significantly curtailed since last year's reforms. The province has moved financial decision-making to new board CEOs and collective bargaining representation to education directors. Elected trustees are left with a primarily advocacy-based role, with Catholic trustees retaining oversight over denominational matters. Under supervision, however, even advocacy is supposed to be paused. There is no stated timeline for a return to normal trustee governance at these boards. Calandra said he expects the swearing-in to occur around the middle of November, in line with provincial law.
Source: cbc.ca.
