TORONTO — Ontario’s public school boards are calling on the province to lift a moratorium on school closures and to finally complete a review – started six years ago – of how those closure decisions get made.
The previous Liberal government first promised the review and enacted the moratorium in 2017, when it was under fire from the Opposition Progressive Conservatives and parents over school closures. Some families, particularly those from rural areas, advocated at the time for the moratorium, saying school closures “tear a hole” in the heart of a community.
Since the moratorium was put in place, school boards have been “delicately balancing the upkeep of aging infrastructure, shifting enrolment, and financial pressures while doing their best to deliver quality programming in their schools,” the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association said.