Ontario to give education minister power to more easily take over school boards [Video]

Ontario is set to give the minister of education power to more easily put school boards under supervision and require more boards to put police officers in schools.

The Canadian Press has learned that Education Minister Paul Calandra will introduce broad legislation today, following weeks of warnings to boards that he would implement tougher oversight.

Calandra announced in April that the province had taken control of one school board by appointing a supervisor due to financial “mismanagement” and was launching financial investigations of three others, describing his actions as putting all boards “on notice.”

The legislation is set to expand the reasons for initiating an investigation or putting a board under supervision beyond just financial ones, to include matters of public interest.

In a news release set to be released later today, the government gives an example of “board governance dysfunction that is preventing key decisions from being made.”

As …