(Queen’s Park) – Simcoe North MPP Garfield Dunlop and Haliburton-Victoria-Brock MPP Laurie Scott today asked Ontario’s Minister of Education to help 150 students in the former townships of Carden and Dalton remain in their Orillia-area schools.

The Trillium Lakelands District School Board has informed the students that they must now attend schools within the Trillium Lakelands boundaries, although these schools are much farther away from their homes than the schools they currently attend in the Orillia area.

In the Ontario legislature during Question Period, Dunlop today asked the Minister of Education the following question: “With a large financial investment, it’s about $5 million in these schools [Brechin, Brama Central and Uptergrove], and I understand there’s a pending regulatory change in the transportation segment of the student-focused funding formula, can you assure us—or I know you could give a partial answer there to the parents and students of Carden and Dalton—will you make the solution a long-term solution, if you possibly can, by working with the boards? I believe in a solution that will allow Carden and Dalton students to attend Simcoe county schools for the foreseeable future and many generations, if at all possible.”

The Minister of Education responded to Dunlop’s question as follows: “What I can say, certainly, is that there is a need here to make sure that there is some long-term stability. I would ascribe right away to that part of the member’s question.

“We have a point of friction between two boards, essentially, and we want to play whatever constructive role we can. We don’t intend to take final decision-making power away from them, but we do see ways and there are some changes that we think can perhaps ameliorate that that could be announced in the weeks ahead.”

Dunlop and Scott both look forward to the Minister’s announcement and a speedy resolution to the issue.

Contacts:
Garfield Dunlop
(705) 327-4500 (cell)