Ontario faces increased pressure to help fix crumbling schools

With the provincial budget just days away, the Ontario government is facing mounting pressure to address the urgent need for repairs and renovations at schools across the province.

Documents obtained by CTV News in January showed that nearly a quarter of the Toronto District School Board's 591 schools are ranked by the province in "critical" condition. The rating means the buildings need extensive renovations or replacements of core systems.

Now, grassroots organization Fix Our Schools says the Liberals need to make school infrastructure a priority in the upcoming budget. The organization is asking that the government allocate $1.7 billion “to fix the critical and urgent disrepair…that exists in our children’s schools.”

“Premier Wynne, is your government going to wait until Ontario’s schools reach a crisis point and schools need to be shut down?” co-founder Krista Wylie asked during a media event on Monday.

Fix Our Schools said there is a $15-billion capital repair backlog that the province needs to deal with.

The TDSB has confirmed that, in Toronto alone, the backlog is $3.3-billion.  (more...)

Ontario faces increased pressure to help fix crumbling schools