Last spring, the Ford government tabled Bill 33, officially known as the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025.
The Bill has generated a lot of controversy. After a raft of recent school board trustee expense scandals, Education Minister Paul Calandra has tabled Bill 33 to try to, at least in part, rein in excesses at school boards.
If passed, Bill 33 would, among other things, expand the minister’s ability to investigate the conduct of a specific school board and assume the powers of that school board if it chooses not to follow the minister’s directions. This means that the minister would be able to install provincial supervisors in place of trustees should they not follow the minister’s directions after he deems those directions to be “in the public interest.”
The Bill would also allow the government to veto the renaming of local schools.
Furthermore, the legislation would require school boards to work with local police services to implement School Resource Officer (SRO) programs, ensuring law enforcement presence in schools.
Bill 33 was first passed on May 29, 2025. However, legislation has to be passed multiple times at Queen’s Park before becoming law. Second reading debate began in June but was adjourned when Queen’s Park rose for the summer. The legislation is a key part of the Ford government’s agenda this fall.
Predictably, the legislation is facing significant opposition from teachers’ unions. David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, says Calandra’s legislation “is dangerously close to authoritarian control” and is warning about “a dismantling of democracy in real time,” alluding to the fact that trustees are elected by the public in local elections.
The Niagara Independent spoke with Fort Erie – Port Colborne first term school board trustee Susan Jovanovic to understand her perspective on the Ford government’s signature legislation.
“I actually have no problem with Bill 33,” said Jovanovic. “Clearly, school boards need an intervention, and it’s completely within the Ministry’s authority to do so.”
In Jovanovic’s experience, too many trustees have gotten away with too much for too long. She’s glad to see the provincial government step in and try to set school trustees back on course.
“Trustees definitely need to be set back on track to their original purpose – because I think they’ve been so forgotten, sheltered, hidden, working outside of the public sight that a lot of them have gone off in the wrong direction and nobody’s bringing them back,” added Jovanovic. “Absolutely. Put us back in line.”
Jovanovic also says she isn’t surprised to see stories in the news of expenses being used improperly.
“None of this surprises me that the money is being improperly used, because you can just see the attitudes.”
Jovanovic was quick to point out that not all trustees are taking advantage of the system. But she has seen many, particularly those who have been there for a long time, take advantage of the generosities of taxpayers. And it’s important, from her perspective, for every dollar possible to make it to the classroom.
“Some of the stuff that I saw – I was gobsmacked,” said Jovanovic. “I’m a trustee with a parent perspective, and I have to tell you, I love these changes.”
Jovanovic is a mother of four, with two kids still currently in high school. She feels that too many trustees are too disconnected from what’s happening in local schools, and that’s part of the problem.
She also takes issue with the unions being so reflexively against any changes that the Ford government is looking to make.
“This is not a political position, but it feels very political,” said Jovanovic. Many of these are common sense changes, but “you would think we’re being given the guillotine.”
Jovanovic pointed out that she doesn’t think the position of trustees ought to be eliminated entirely, as trustees can offer important local perspectives, but she is in favour of cleaning up the system, having more qualified candidates run for office, and greater scrutiny of their work.
“I’m not really in favour of getting rid of trustees altogether – whatever level of government, the centre is what the centre is – in Ontario it’s Toronto-centric. We’re out in Niagara and we have a different experience and they need to understand that experiences are different,” added Jovanovic.
But, she also noted, “if trustees were to disappear, most people wouldn’t notice.”
For her, that’s a problem. And Jovanovic is hopeful that the Ford government’s legislation could start to reverse that trend.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
