Trustees with the Toronto District School Board are calling on the Province to help fund new schools and renovations in Toronto after a recent $1.3 billion provincial announcement completely omitted projects in Canada’s largest school board.
On average, TDSB’s 579 schools are more than 60 years of age and many require urgent repairs, renovations and/or replacement. The Auditor General recently found that “TDSB school buildings on average are in the worst condition in Ontario,” with the Financial Accountability Office reporting that 84% of buildings are now below a state of good repair.
School boards, including the TDSB, submit up to 5 projects for consideration each year, however none were approved despite the urgent need.
The projects submitted to this year’s Capital Priorities Program were intended to revitalize spaces for students and teachers, from:
- A new school at 770 Don Mills Road for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.
- Replacing St. Margaret’s Public School for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8.
- Replacing Secord Elementary School for Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5.
- A new addition at Davisville Junior Public School.
- A standalone school for Indigenous students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 12.
In addition to not receiving capital funding, the TDSB continues to face an approximate $4.5 billion maintenance and repair backlog. Despite increased provincial funding, the backlog continues to rise and is compounded by the current moratorium on school closures which has been in place since 2017 which restricts the TDSB’s ability to consolidate schools. As a result, the board spends desperately needed money on older and/or low enrolment schools, while limiting the breadth of programming for students.
Quick Facts
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- In 2023-24 TDSB received $293.2 million in funding to maintain buildings, while spending exceeded $447.1 million in the same year as the maintenance backlog grew by approx. $70 million
- As of January 2025, there were 730 projects actively under construction and another 335 projects in the works.
“As Chair of Canada's largest school board, it is difficult to accept that not a single child in Toronto will benefit from 25,000 new student spaces. While $1.3 billion is being spent on construction across the province, Toronto District School Board was notified that our five submitted school projects would not receive funding. This lack of recognition and commitment is troubling. TDSB students, families, and educators deserve investments in our schools to deliver the best education possible for the future of Ontario.”
- Neethan Shan, Chair, TDSB