On July 30, 2018, the Government of Ontario introduced legislation to align Toronto City Council ward boundaries with current provincial and federal ridings, and reduce the number of Toronto City Council seats from 47 to 25. This will result in a realignment of trustee ward boundaries.
Q&As
Will there be a change to the number of elected Trustees to Toronto’s public, Catholic and French-Language school boards?
No. There will be no additional school board trustees. The TDSB will continue to have 22 school board trustees.
With 22 TDSB Trustee wards and 25 new municipal wards based on provincial/federal boundaries, will there need to be a realignment of Trustee ward boundaries?
Yes. Regulation 412, Trustee Determination and Distribution, currently requires the TDSB to align its trustee boundaries with the City’s ward boundaries.
How long will the Board have to complete a boundary review, conduct consultation, if any, and approve a new boundary realignment plan?
The Board has been instructed by the Ministry of Education that it has until August 14 to review the new municipal boundaries, analyze the student population and public school electoral data, and approve a boundary realignment plan.
Does the TDSB have all the information it needs to complete the realignment?
No, not yet. The Municipal Property Tax Assessment Corporation (MPAC) will provide updated information on public school electoral (voters) divided by 25 provincial/federal wards by August 7.
Will there be public consultation with public school electors/parents on the TDSB’s ward boundary changes?
No. The government deadline to change the boundaries does not allow time for any public consultation.
What happens if the TDSB and other school boards in Toronto do not approve a new boundary realignment plan by August 14?
The government has said it will impose a new boundary plan on August 17.
Didn’t the TDSB just complete public consultation on ward boundary changes that resulted in some changes to school trustee ward boundaries?
Yes. The City of Toronto undertook a comprehensive review of voter distribution and held public consultation on a proposal that was approved to increase the number of councillors to 47. That triggered a boundary review by the TDSB, and subsequent consultation and approval of a boundary realignment plan for the TDSB. The plan did not include an increase in the number of school trustees. The government’s proposed legislation to reduce the number of city councillors to 25 with 25 wards, if passed, would effectively cancel the City’s and the TDSB’s previously approved ward boundary changes.
What other changes will be made to the Toronto municipal and school board elections as a result of the government’s proposed changes?
The date for the close of nominations for school board and municipal elections (except the office of Mayor) had been extended to September 14. The date of the school and municipal election remains the same.
Links