TDSB pauses renaming of 3 schools in wake of new bill that gives Ontario more power over boards

The Toronto District School Board says it has “paused activities” related to the renaming of schools in the city in the wake of new provincial legislation that, if passed, would give Ontario’s education minister more power over school boards, including authority over school names.

The TDSB previously said it would rename Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate Institute, Ryerson Community School, and Dundas Junior Public School in response to increased public attention on schools that are named after individuals with “historical legacies” that “no longer represent the values and perspectives of our students and communities.”

But efforts to rename those schools have now been put on hold due to proposed legislation that could shift school renaming powers to the province’s minister of education.

As part of the province’s Supporting Children and Students Act, the minister of education would have “authority over school names when boards open a new school and/or change an existing school name.” The minister would also “oversee the process to limit the time and money school boards spend on such matters,” according to the province.

“We’ve seen school boards wasting resources on endless discussions just to change school names,” Education Minister Paul Calandra said during a news conference last month.

“Our plan would establish ministerial authority to oversee school naming and to limit the time and money that boards spend on that.”

In April of 2021, the TDSB’s board of trustees voted in favour of establishing a special reference group made up of students, parents, guardians, and caregivers, TDSB educators, community members, along with experts involved in anti-racism work to propose amendments to the board’s school naming policies and procedures.

In the group’s initial report, a number of recommendations were put forward, including renaming the three schools “immediately,” establishing a framework for members of the public to request a school name change, and ensuring “opportunities for education are provided to students and the wider community as they engage in the renaming process.”

In a statement to CP24, a spokesperson for the TDSB said the school board “follows the direction of the Ministry of Education” and has halted all renaming work.

“Keeping in mind timing related to the legislative process, staff have paused activities related to school renaming to ensure compliance,” the spokesperson said.

Kathleen Woodcock, the president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, said decisions about school names should remain with local school boards.

“Trustees are elected by their communities to represent local voices, and they live and work in the communities. So it’s important that that naming/ renaming process be anchored the local community,” Woodcock told CP24 this week.

“These conversations need to take place at the community level by informed local voices and reflect the lived experience of the community that surrounds the school.”

In a statement to CP24, the press secretary for the minister of education, Emma Testani, said parents “deserve confidence that school boards are making decisions in the best interests of their children’s education.”

“We expect school boards across the province to spend every public dollar directly on supporting students and teachers, not on wasting thousands of taxpayers’ dollars on the renaming of schools.”