HAMILTON (CANADA)
The Canadian Champion [Milton, Ontario, Canada]
April 10, 2026
By Roland Cilliers
Trustee behind the request is “disappointed.”
The Minister of Education doesn’t see a reason to conduct an audit of the local Catholic school board, and that’s disappointing to some.
At the March 24 meeting of the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB), trustees officially received a letter from Minister of Education Paul Calandra. The letter was the long waited for response to a controversial 2024 motion from the board requesting that the Ministry of Education conduct a financial and management audit of the HCDSB.
Proponents of sending the request argued it was a chance to address what they believe is the persistent underfunding of the HCDSB when compared to other school boards in the province.
“I, as the minister, may direct an audit of the board or, in accordance with the Education Act, pursue an investigation of the board’s financial affairs. Given that the school board has consistently maintained a healthy accumulated surplus balance over the past several years, the ministry does not plan on conducting a financial and management audit of Halton Catholic DSB at this time,” said Calandra in the letter.
Over the last year, the province has placed a number of school boards, including the nearby Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, under supervision. The province has taken this action when it believes there are concerns of public interest at a board.
Trustees and local officials have long argued that the HCDSB has the lowest per-pupil amount of funding within the province. The letter to the ministry requested that the situation be addressed.
In his response to the board, Calandra explained how per-pupil funding is calculated.
“School boards with the highest average funding per pupil tend to be school boards with relatively low enrolment, reflecting that fixed amounts are divided over fewer students,” reads Calandra in the letter. “For example, the fixed cost of the Director of Education at Halton Catholic DSB, with over 36,000 students would be low when averaged on a per-pupil basis compared to the same cost divided by about 800 students.”
Calandra goes on to argue that many low-pupil boards tend to generate additional funding due to their specific geography or need for specialized education. Larger school boards, such as the Toronto District School Board may receive higher per-pupil funding due to the larger volume of specialized programming like English as a Second Language.
The motion to send the request to the ministry was put forth by Oakville trustee Chris Saunders. In an interview following the meeting, the trustee said he hoped the review could have led to greater funding for Halton students.
“I was disappointed that the ministry chose not to conduct a review. It would have been a valuable opportunity for the board to demonstrate the steps it is taking to enhance education, while also allowing the ministry to assess and potentially increase our funding,” said Saunders.
“I had hoped this motion would help initiate that process — setting the stage for increased funding and serving as a meaningful contribution to the future of the HCDSB.”
Roland Cilliers is a reporter for Metroland in Halton. He can be reached at rcilliers@metroland.com.