Kids vs. Politicians: Will MPP Candidates in Ontario pledge to fix the buildings where 2-million kids spend their days?

TORONTO, March 28, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With a provincial election on June 7, The Campaign for Public Education and Fix Our Schools are launching a pledge initiative, aiming to have all MPP candidates commit to safe, healthy, well-maintained schools in this province. Ontarians have ten weeks to ensure that their local MPP candidates sign the Fix Our Schools pledge (copy attached) to demonstrate their commitment to eliminating the $15.9-billion of disrepair that has accumulated in Ontario’s schools over the past twenty years.

Regions covered by the 10 school boards with the worst building disrepair in the province include: Ajax, Akwesasne, Brampton, Brockville, Caledon, Hamilton, London-area, Mississauga, Oshawa, Ottawa-Carleton, Windsor-area, and the Greater-Toronto-Area.

List of Top 10 Ontario School Boards with the greatest disrepair backlog:

1. TORONTO - The 758 schools in the Toronto and Toronto Catholic District School Boards face a combined repair backlog of  $4.6-billion.
2. MISSISSAUGA, BRAMPTON, CALEDON - The 251 schools in the Peel District School Board face a repair backlog of $1.02-billion.
3. OTTAWA-CARLETON - The 147 schools in the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board face a repair backlog of $841-million
4. LONDON, INGERSOLL, ST. THOMAS, TILLSONBURG, WOODSTOCK - The 159 schools in the Thames Valley District School Board face a repair backlog of  $756-million.
5. WINDSOR, LASALLE, AMHERSTBERG, ESSEX, LEAMINGTON – The 70 schools in the Greater Essex County District School board face a repair backlog of $390-million.
6. AJAX, OSHAWA, PICKERING, VAUGHAN - The 128 schools in the Durham District School Board face a repair backlog of $369-million.
7. HAMILTON-WENTWORTH - The 107 schools in the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board face a repair backlog of $337-million.
8. AURORA, MARKHAM, NEWMARKET, RICHMOND HILL, VAUGHAN - The 209 schools in the York Region District School Board face a repair backlog of $329-million.
9. HALTON HILLS, MILTON, OAKVILLE - The 103 schools in the Halton District School Board face a repair backlog of $312-million.
10. BROCKVILLE, CLARENCE-ROCKLAND, CARLETON PLACE, CORNWALL, AKWESASNE – The 90 schools in the Upper Canada District School Board face a repair backlog of $299-million.

PDF attachment:

1. Fix Our Schools Pledge 
   http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/e9fbb845-1f44-445d-93b7-676bc482014d
    

Quotes

“In 2015, Ontario’s Auditor-General confirmed that provincial funding for school repairs had been grossly and chronically inadequate for decades – in some years, only ONE-TENTH of what it ought to have been. Our provincial government’s approach to funding education has seen disrepair accumulate to an appalling $15.9 billion. I hope people across Ontario take advantage of the opportunity we have in the coming ten weeks to ask all our MPP candidates to sign the Fix Our Schools Pledge and ensure that Ontario’s KIDS win on June 7.” – Krista Wylie, Co-Founder of the Fix Our Schools Campaign

“During my twelve years as an Ontario student, I’ve experienced freezing cold classrooms, boiling hot classrooms, leaking ceilings and disgusting washrooms. It makes me wonder if the adults in charge really do value our education.” – Sarah Dueck, Grade 11 Student

“We need a province-wide Standard of Good Repair for schools and adequate, stable provincial funding for school boards to meet those standards within a set timeline of four years.” – Stephen Seaborn, Campaign for Public Education

“The provincial government has made a mess of funding for school facilities; we can’t fix our schools without fixing the way we pay for them.” – Hugh Mackenzie, economist.

Fix Our Schools, founded in 2014, is a non-partisan, parent-led, province-wide campaign working to ensure that every publicly funded school in Ontario is a safe, healthy, well-maintained building that provides an environment conducive to learning and working.  *  fixourschools.ca

Campaign for Public Education was founded in 2002 to coordinate efforts of parent, teacher, education worker and ethno-racial organizations in campaigning for needs-based funding for public education.  *  campaignforpubliceducation.ca