French school board sues province to secure funding for new school in Hamilton

TORONTO – Education Minister Liz Sandals says the French Catholic school board for south central Ontario should apply for funding for a new building through proper channels, not through the courts.

Sandals says she heard the French board was launching a lawsuit against the province from the media, even though the government has promised to expedite funding to buy property for a new school.

The board complains it’s been trying to replace its existing Hamilton high school since the 1990s because the aging building has no windows, schoolyard or sports field.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says Ontario’s education funding formula is short-changing some students, and calls it “a sad day” when a school board feels it must sue the government to get the money it needs.

The Progressive Conservatives say the Liberals are far more concerned with making sure they get contract agreements with teachers than ensuring students have the best learning environments.

Sandals says the Hamilton school — Ecole Secondaire Academie Catholique Mere-Teresa —has the capacity for 400 students but has fewer than 250, and notes every one of Ontario’s 72 boards has buildings they want to replace.

The French Catholic school board is responsible for 15,000 students in an area that includes Niagara, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Toronto and Peterborough.