In an unprecedented move highlighting ongoing governance concerns within Ontario's education system, Education Minister Paul Calandra has appointed himself as the temporary supervisor for another school board. The minister is taking direct control of the Near North District School Board, citing significant failures in leadership and a direct impact on students.
Minister Cites Board Incompetence and Student Disruption
Calandra stated the decision was made because the board is incompetent and has failed its students. The action follows a ministry review triggered by major setbacks in opening a new school in Parry Sound. These problems forced hundreds of elementary students to start the school year in a different location, while high school students began with remote learning and are now attending classes in what the minister described as a half-demolished school.
This intervention is not an isolated case. The Near North board becomes the sixth school board to be placed under the supervision of a provincially appointed official since Calandra became minister. The previous five appointments were also justified by what the minister has consistently called mismanagement.
New Powers Under Bill 33 Facilitate Intervention
The province's ability to act stems from Bill 33, legislation passed recently that grants the education minister enhanced authority to intervene in school board operations. Introduced in May 2025, the bill was propelled, in part, by public outrage over a controversial $200,000 art-shopping trip to Italy taken by trustees from the Brantford Catholic board.
Beyond streamlining supervision, Bill 33 also provides the minister with greater control over boards and trustees, allows for the potential return of school resource police officers, and requires ministerial approval for school naming and renaming decisions. This last power has already been exercised in Toronto, where an appointed supervisor moved against trustee recommendations to rename three schools.
A Pattern of Provincial Takeover and Future Implications
Calandra has been unequivocal about his intent to use these new powers. He recently told reporters at Queen's Park that the ministry requires more authority to step into boards that have gone off the rails, noting the government has more than enough examples of such failures.
Even school boards that manage their budgets correctly are not immune, the minister warned. If you're not running your board appropriately, we're going to step in and we're going to put you right on track, he stated, signaling that financial stewardship alone is no longer sufficient to avoid provincial intervention.
This direct takeover by the minister himself, rather than appointing a third-party supervisor, underscores the severity with which the province views the situation in the Near North district and marks a significant escalation in the government's hands-on approach to local education governance.
