TDSB Trustee Anu Sriskandarajah
Education Development Hearing
On March 25, the Toronto District School Board made arguments to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court) about changes to the Education Act to allow the TDSB to collect Education Development Charges, which could generate about $500 million in additional revenue over the next 15 years to make investments in schools.
Lawyers for the Ontario government and Building Industry and Land Development Corp. also participated in the hearing and argued against the changes proposed by the TDSB. The Court reserved judgment and will render its decision at a later date.
OPSBA Advocacy Day 2021
The purpose of Ontario Public School Boards’ Association (OPSBA) Advocacy Day meetings are to re-introduce OPSBA and its priorities to the government and the opposition parties. It is also an opportunity to increase and elevate the overall awareness of the association and its advocacy efforts. Following the provincial meetings, OPSBA Directors representing the TDSB reached out to their local MPPs to set up a virtual meeting. The following document was developed to highlight issues that are impacting the Board and ways that government could help alleviate them: tdsb.on.ca/Portals/0/docs/TDSB%20OPSBA%20Advocacy%20Day%20March%202021.pdf
School Excursion Forms
School excursion notifications and permission forms are now digital. The TDSB has launched a new online system to replace the current paper-based model. While in-person excursions and athletics are not taking place right now, there is still a wide variety of virtual excursions available to our students.
When a teacher creates a virtual excursion for students, parents/guardians will receive an email notification from tdsb.excursions@tdsb.on.ca about the upcoming event. As these opportunities are happening virtually and during the school day, permission is not required, but it is to let parents/guardians know what their child is engaged in.
When in-person athletics and excursions resume, all related forms and communication will also be available through this online process, which will include a secure login process for parents/guardians to provide consent.
Trustee Garry Tanuan
A big thank you and congratulations to the Filipino community and leaders, Trustees, QJCP Task Force, TCDSB Director Brendan Browne and staff, Philippine Consul General Orontes V. Castro and staff on the successful 500-year anniversary celebration of the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines on March 31 at the Catholic Education Centre.
Anti-Racism Conference
The vision of the Anti-Racism Conference on May 11 &12 is to support TCDSB’s call to equity, which promotes action with sincerity, integrity and commitment to ensure that everyone feels a sense of belonging in order to thrive and succeed to the best of their abilities. This sense of belonging is part of the nurturing goals of our Catholic community. To register or for more information, visit here: https://sites.google.com/tcdsb.ca/equitydiversioninclusion/anti-racism-conference?authuser=0
Essay-Video Competition
As we prepare for June Filipino Heritage Month, the Filipino Heritage Council of Canada (FHCC) will present a virtual cultural event on June 27. The theme of the online activity is “Filipino Canadians Celebrate Canada.” Its focus is on building and strengthening Canada through community advocacy and support on equity, diversity and anti-racism initiatives. An exciting component of this event is the “Way To Go! Pinoy” Essay-Video Competition. The contest is open from April 7 to May 30 to all Canadians from 13-18 years of age and focuses on the topic “Meaningful Impact of Interacting with Filipinos and Filipino Culture.” Winners will receive a cash prize of $1,000, $750 or $500. For more information, send inquiries to: FHCCQuery@gmail.com.
Recently the TCDSB held three virtual town halls in preparation of its budget submission to the Ministry. A survey was also sent to the parent community. For more information on the budget, visit: tcdsb.org/Board/TCDSB-Community-Consultations/2021-2022-budget-consultation/Pages/Frequently-Asked-Questions.aspx
Questions? Contact Trustee Garry Tanuan 416-512-3408 or 416-222-8282 ext. 2659.