Education minister issues 15 orders to northern Ontario school board after governance review

Erik White · CBC News

· Posted: Oct 30, 2025 6:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: November 4

An Ontario authorities reappraisal of the Near North District School Board points to “dysfunction” and “fractured relationships” that led to delays successful the opening of a caller schoolhouse successful Parry Sound.

The acquisition curate has present ordered the board, based successful North Bay, to instrumentality 15 actions successful the adjacent fewer weeks to “restore effectual governance and rebuild trust.”

"The study confirms deep-rooted dysfunction wrong the Near North District School Board that has eroded nationalist confidence,” Minister Paul Calandra said successful a statement.

"I expect the committee to enactment immediately, without hold oregon excuse, to close these failures and enactment students first. If they bash not, I volition not hesitate to instrumentality further enactment to guarantee accountability and reconstruct stability."

The reappraisal was ordered successful the look of a nationalist uproar from parents and students successful Parry Sound, erstwhile conscionable weeks earlier the commencement of the schoolhouse year, it was announced that a caller $58 cardinal JK-12 schoolhouse would not beryllium ready.

After 2 weeks of distant learning, students successful the Parry Sound country person been attending classes successful their erstwhile schools, including the aged precocious schoolhouse that had been partially demolished.

The reappraisal elaborate that it was conscionable the latest study into operations astatine the Near North board, including 3 Ontario Ombudsman investigations since 2019 and the assignment of 2 peculiar ministry advisors successful 2019 looking into “the aforesaid concerns” astir governance, quality resources and fiscal accountability.

The study outlines however a caller schoolhouse for Parry Sound was archetypal projected successful 2014, architects were hired successful 2021 and an archetypal opening day acceptable for September 2023.

By March 2023, 50 precocious schoolhouse unit sent a missive of interest astir however the caller schoolhouse was being handled by the Near North board.

In May 2023, the committee enactment retired a media merchandise announcing the caller schoolhouse would unfastened successful September 2025. The reappraisal notes that this was the past media merchandise from Near North connected the schoolhouse until August 2025, erstwhile it was revealed the schoolhouse wouldn’t beryllium acceptable for the archetypal time of classes.

“The deficiency of consistent, direct, proactive and responsive communications from the schoolhouse committee has lone made this challenging concern worse,” the reappraisal reads.

It finds that the delays successful the opening of the caller schoolhouse tin beryllium attributed to dysfunction astatine the board, a deficiency of enactment and operation tract delays, including a shortage of skilled tradespeople. 

The reappraisal goes into large item astir the “dysfunctional and divided board” marred by “personal agendas” and “positions,” arsenic good arsenic a  "fractured relationship” betwixt the acquisition manager and trustees “to the constituent of being beyond repair.”

“One trustee observed that struggle astatine the committee array has gone connected for excessively agelong and has ‘snowballed into an avalanche,’” the study reads. 

“The vexation and choler implicit the delayed opening of the caller JK-12 Parry Sound schoolhouse laid bare the information that this schoolhouse committee has not governed itself successful a mode that earned the assurance oregon spot of its communities,” the reappraisal reads.

“Given the divided and dysfunctional quality of the Board, the lack of enactment from the Director, and the heavy assemblage distrust of the schoolhouse board, I judge ministry involution is warranted.”

The acquisition curate has issued 15 binding directions that the Near North School Board indispensable implicit wrong 5 to 15 days.

They see the retaining of extracurricular experts, the instauration of a nonrecreational improvement plan, the signaling and posting of schoolhouse committee meetings online, mandatory monthly meetings of the Parry Sound Building Committee and a assemblage engagement program “detailing measures that volition beryllium undertaken successful bid to reconstruct nationalist confidence.”

The CBC contacted the Near North District School Board for a response, but has not heard back.