Ongoing chaos: who will get the META court fine?
TORONTO – Going into the last week of the summer break, before the resumption of classes, on September 8, the province is no closer to resolving the “crisis” that afflicts the province in Education. The provincial system of education comprises 72 local school boards, 29 of them are defined as Catholic thereby occupying a “pride of place” in in the Constitutional framework.
From a financing point of view, there is no impact on the plethora of private schools operating under license of the Ministry of Education for granting of credits and Diplomas. Any financial arrangement usually comes through Canada Revenue Agency and tax credits associated with the status applied to educational entity applying.
Back to the “crisis”, because every issue in Ontario is predicated on the “severity of the crisis” and never the rationale associated with the critique. In late May 2024-2025, the government was stirred to action because apparently not enough monies budgeted for Education were flowing to where they had been intended: kids in the classroom.
It placed four (4) of the above 72 under supervision, suspending the boards of trustees because they satisfied some hastily assembled, independent audit that their financial mismanagement, their inability to get along or they were in danger of running a deficit. One year later that number now stands at eight. Combined, they account for $11.28 billion of the Education spend, 35% of the budget.
Six of those boards (plus eight others not under supervision) are in a class action lawsuit to recover $8 billion in “damages” inflicted by META and tech companies on our children through pernicious, toxic software programs designed to enhance compulsive use of their product. To the detriment of their mental health, social growth and academic development, the plaintiff boards argued in court, as the judge heard motions to proceed.
The reader is right to ask, “why would they allow these programs if they knew about them?” Let’s go back to money – it is easier to understand. On March 28, 2024, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported that the judge would permit the action to go forward. It also quoted Premier Ford as saying this was nonsense.
Maybe so, but just in case, it would save everyone grief if as many Boards as possible were to be placed under supervision; thereby transferring administration of whatever funds were to be ordered by the Court back to the provincial government through its direct representative: the Supervisor. The saga continues thanks to the upcoming election.