Ontario Ombudsman Oversight of School Boards
On July 8, 2014, the Ontario government, under President of the Treasury Board Deb Matthews, re-introduced broader public sector accountability and transparency legislation entitled Bill 8, Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act, 2014. This omnibus bill included Schedule 9 — Amendments to the Ombudsman Act and Related Amendments.
OPBSA President Michael Barrett presented to the Standing Committee on General Government regarding Bill 8 on Nov. 26, 2014.
Bill 8 received Royal Assent on Dec. 11, 2014. On May 21, 2015, Schedule 9 – Amendments to the Ombudsman Act and Related Amendments was proclaimed. Ombudsman oversight came into force for school boards on September 1, 2015.
Resources
- The Ontario Ombudsman Website
- The Ombudsman’s 2015-2016 Annual Report – K-12 Education-Specific Chapter
- Acting Ombudsman Barbara Finlay’s presentation to the OPSBA Board of Directors
- Expanding the mandate of the Ontario Ombudsman to municipalities, universities and school boards – A Background Paper from the Public Policy Forum
- OPSBA Backgrounder on the role of the Ontario Ombudsman as it relates to school boards
