TORONTO – Ontarians are divided over the provincial government’s intention to reform the school system, starting with the elimination of the role of school trustees, a move “suggested” by Education Minister Paul Calandra following the dismissal of several school boards due to their persistent deficits. 

The contrasting opinions of citizens emerge from a new survey conducted by Abacus Data (on behalf of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, CUPE) among 2,000 Ontario residents, interviewed between September 11 and 13. According to data collected by Abacus, only one in three respondents, 33%, favor eliminating school trustees, while 36% oppose the measure and another 25% are undecided. Fifty-seven percent of respondents agreed that “the main problem facing Ontario schools is lack of funding, not school trustees,” and that trustees actually provide a kind of “accountability” at the local level.

In an interview with CTV, CUPE Ontario president Fred Hahn says the poll shows that Ontarians “don’t believe” trustees are responsible for the shortcomings in education. “They know very well that the cause of the challenges that young people are experiencing in our education system, in our schools throughout the province are a direct result of underfunding” he says. Furthermore, according to Hahn, the restructuring proposals put forward by the provincial government are a kind of “distraction” to divert attention from other objectives. “We’re quite concerned that this is an extension of the way in which the Ford (Progressive) Conservatives have interfered and tried to diminish democratic processes” Hahn says.

The poll reveals a divide among Conservative Party voters when presented with two options: replacing the Minister of Education or eliminating school trustees. Well, 49% of Conservative Party voters say they are more likely to want Calandra’s expulsion than that of the “trustees,” while 51% believe the minister’s proposals are in line with the program of the party that governs the Province. Including voters from all parties, the percentages are 66% against Calandra and 34% against the trustees. The wording of the question, however, is “peculiar” to say the least: in fact, the question posed to the citizens interviewed defines Calandra’s actions as “attempts to undermine Ontario democracy through this anti-parent power grab to eliminate local school trustees” contrasting it with the campaign led by Premier Doug Ford to protect Ontario from US President Donald Trump, himself a power centralizer.

Conservative voters are also split, exactly 50/50, on whether to increase per-student spending or, alternatively, maintain funding unchanged and eliminate school trustees. Again, the percentages of the entire unreviewed sample are 66% (more funding) and 34% (same funding but no trustees).

The whole report by Abacus can be dowloaded here: AbacusDataPoll_OntSchoolTrusteesAndGovernmentFunding_202509

In the pic above, Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra visits a school (photo from Twitter X – @PaulCalandra)