Critics decry Ontario’s bill as ‘real-time dismantling of democracy’

Education advocates and teachers across Ontario are urging the provincial government to withdraw Bill 33 — the Supporting Children and Students Act — arguing that it threatens local democracy and public accountability in education.

Currently in its second reading, the bill would grant the provincial government sweeping powers to remove elected school board trustees and replace them with appointed supervisors “in the public interest.” It would also require police officers in schools and impose tighter financial and administrative controls on boards and post-secondary institutions.

David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), warned that the legislation represents “a dismantling of democracy in real time.” Speaking at Queen’s Park, Mastin said the bill could silence marginalized voices and harm students, noting that mandatory police presence in schools has historically had disproportionate impacts on Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth.

“This is not just a bureaucratic shift,” he said. “It’s a direct attack on democracy that will strip communities of their right to shape public education.”

Local union leaders echoed those concerns. David Berger of the Kawartha Pine Ridge ETFO Local called Bill 33 “a direct threat to Ontario’s community-driven education system,” while Ottawa-Carleton ETFO president Stephen Skoutajan described how provincial supervision in his board has already erased local oversight. Parents, he said, now struggle to reach decision-makers who were once their elected trustees.

Education Minister Paul Calandra maintains the bill is designed to improve accountability and ensure that school boards act “in the best interests of children.” The legislation would allow the province to intervene where it finds evidence of financial mismanagement, set stricter spending rules, and require school resource officers in all schools.

“Parents deserve confidence that school boards are making decisions in the best interests of their children’s education,” Calandra said earlier this year.

Opposition politicians and education advocates reject that explanation. NDP education critic Chandra Pasma called Bill 33 “a direct attack on the rights of students, parents, and education workers,” accusing the government of using financial oversight as a pretext for consolidating power.

Pasma linked the proposal to broader education cuts under the current government — including reductions to special education, arts funding, and English as a second language programs — which she said have led to larger class sizes, resource shortages, and growing violence in schools.

Mastin and other critics insist the bill must be withdrawn entirely. “We can never defend the misuse of public funds,” Mastin said, “but eliminating an entire level of elected governance is not the solution.”

Teacher unions warn that if the legislation passes this fall, it could permanently undermine local decision-making in education — shifting control of Ontario’s schools from communities to Queen’s Park.