Dear Constituents,
I would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and your loved ones! May this festive season bring joy, peace, and beautiful moments to cherish.
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Our government is working hard to deliver on items that matter to Ontarians. In this edition of the Weekly Update, you can find the latest news on what the Province is doing to:
- Accelerate the construction of modern schools
- Build more homes while protecting taxpayers
- Help more than 18,000 young people prepare for life-long careers in a growing industry
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Ontario Unveils Plan to Build Modern Schools Faster
The Ontario government is introducing new measures to build modern schools faster that will cut construction timelines by nearly 50 per cent to meet the unprecedented pace of growth across the province. In Ontario, the average school construction timeline is 4-7 years, which comes from an obsolete capital process that has not been meaningfully overhauled since 2010-11.
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For the first time, Ontario will ensure school boards are building schools in nearly half the amount of time it took before through a faster, transparent, accountable and clearer process that prioritizes shovel-ready projects. School boards will follow a more streamlined process to identify and dispose of unused property, generate more revenue to reinvest back in schools, create schools in mixed-use buildings like condominiums and use existing buildings in their communities.
The strategy overhauls the development, planning and building of schools so projects can be completed faster for the benefit of families in growing communities. Key reforms include:
- Prioritizing shovel-ready projects and enhanced accountability requirements as school boards provide realistic project costs and timelines.
- Strengthened accountability framework to reduce approval timelines and stronger project oversight with the introduction of project agreements that lay out key milestones and delivery timelines.
- Standardizing designs of new schools to reduce school board planning time and mitigate scheduling delays.
- Greater collaboration between school boards and municipalities to ensure planning and construction of schools is targeted to ongoing and future growth.
- Reducing red tape with streamlined approval and reporting requirements on new school builds.
- Effectively using space by supporting school boards in working together to operate schools in joint-use facilities between two or more boards within the same building, where appropriate, or as shared-use sites where a school is part of a larger building with multiple users, such as a school within a mixed-use condominium.
- Identifying and disposing of unused surplus school board property at fair market value, first considering local school board pupil accommodation needs and then provincial priorities such as long-term care and affordable housing before being sold by school boards on the open market. School boards will continue to reinvest proceeds of disposition back into their school facilities.
These measures have been incorporated into this year’s (2023-24) Capital Priorities Program as well as through new regulation that takes effect December 31, 2023. The reforms will address the changing needs of the province and ensure that Ontario is building schools faster and better utilizing taxpayer dollars effectively, bringing more and improved accountability and transparency for parents and families.
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Ontario Taking Action to Support Municipal Partners in Building More Homes and Protecting Taxpayers
The Government of Ontario is responding to feedback from its municipal partners and is taking steps to clarify and enhance collaborative efforts to build at least 1.5 million homes across the province by 2031, protect frontline services, and keep costs down for taxpayers.
In response to community feedback, the Government of Ontario is:
- Consulting on proposed revocations, amendments and monitoring of existing minister’s zoning orders as part of a new “use it or lose it” approach to support improved municipal planning and resourcing while holding builders to account;
- Providing clarity about the application of development-related charge exemptions for attainable housing to support improved municipal budgetary planning; and
- Consulting on development-related charges and fee refund frameworks to support municipalities with sustainably building more homes faster.
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The government will introduce legislation in the new year that, if passed, would recalibrate the mandate of the Peel Region Transition Board to focus on making local government in Peel Region more efficient and responsive to the needs of taxpayers, including by improving regional services like policing, paramedics and public health, instead of dissolution.
Over the last six months, the Peel Transition Board has worked closely and diligently with municipal governments and service agencies in Peel Region to support high-quality services for taxpayers while improving the efficiency of local governments as they prepare for future growth, including by making good on their municipal housing pledges. The new, more focused mandate also asks the board to bring forward recommendations on optimizing the delivery of services that support the commitment to build more homes, including land-use planning, servicing, roads and waste management.
These services are key to building homes and housing-enabling infrastructure. Removing the duplicative layer of regional bureaucracy from the administration of these services will get shovels in the ground faster so more people in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon can find a home that meets their needs. This balanced approach will provide certainty and stability for taxpayers and municipal employees in Peel Region while continuing the province’s efforts to provide the best value for taxpayers.
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Ontario Helping More Students Kick-Start Careers in the Trades
The Ontario government is investing over $62.9 million in two of the province’s foundational skilled trades programs to help more than 18,000 young people explore and prepare for life-long careers in a growing industry. The record increase in funding will help train the 100,000 skilled workers needed to build transit, hospitals and at least 1.5 million homes by 2031.
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a specialized high school program that gives students who have completed Grade 10 the chance to explore the trades through cooperative education courses. The government is expanding OYAP with a $21.1 million investment to help more students across the province gain exposure to the skilled trades by accumulating hours toward an apprenticeship while completing their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The province is also sending 72 OYAP recruiters into more than 800 secondary schools to compete directly with colleges and universities. |
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The government is also investing $41.8 million to launch roughly 100 pre-apprenticeship training projects around the province to help young people get first-hand experience working in trades that can pay six figures such as welding, electrical and arboriculture. Pre-apprenticeship training is free for participants while costs for textbooks, safety equipment and tools are all covered. Courses can last up to 52 weeks and include an 8–12-week paid work placement with a local employer.
This announcement was made at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 353 in Toronto. With a $1.3 million investment from the Skills Development Fund Training Stream, IBEW has launched a free project to prepare 48 people from underrepresented groups as electricians in the Greater Toronto Area. The program includes a free 15-week bootcamp on essential electrical skills and health and safety, along with a 10-week paid job placement with a local employer and a pathway to an apprenticeship.
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My constituency office is open Monday to Friday from 10AM to 4PM.
If you have any questions or concerns we’re readily available to assist you.
You can also reach us by phone at (416) 781-2395
or by email at robin.martin@pc.ola.org.
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Warmest Wishes,
 Robin Martin, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence
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