Ontario minister will allow Toronto school board trustees to be sworn in by November 15
Education Minister Paul Calandra reversed an earlier decision and said newly elected TDSB and TCDSB trustees will be sworn in, while board supervisors keep their governing power.
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Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra said on October 30 that newly elected trustees for the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board will be sworn in by November 15. CityNews Toronto reported the reversal after Calandra had earlier said trustees would not be sworn in at all.
The change came after the minister learned that some newly elected trustees were making plans to hold informal meetings with families and community members, even though they hold no governing power while the boards remain under provincial supervision.
Why the province changed course
Calandra said trustees who planned those gatherings were working outside the code of conduct. Rather than leave them unsupervised, he decided to swear them in so they would be formally bound by the rules.
"What they immediately decided to do was work outside the code of conduct, set aside that they are still responsible and could at one point be responsible for governing a board, and find loop holes around doing the right thing," Calandra said, according to CityNews.
He instructed board supervisors and chief executive officers to complete the swearing-in by November 15, 2026.
What trustees can and cannot do
Swearing in trustees does not return governing authority to them. Board supervisors retain control of daily operations at both TDSB and TCDSB until the province lifts the supervision orders.
TDSB trustee Alexis Dawson, whose page is at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/alexis-dawson, said trustees can still represent their communities in other ways.
"We certainly can have public meetings with our constituents. We can participate in rallies, we can participate in community events. We are still elected by our communities and we're still able to represent them through various channels," Dawson told CityNews.
Accountability if rules are broken
Calandra said trustees who step outside the code of conduct will face consequences. Any trustee who breaks the rules will have the details sent to the integrity commissioner for investigation, he said.
Residents who want to follow the trustee term can find every elected trustee for all four Toronto school boards on the Toronto election results page, where promise tracking for each person will be updated during the 2026 term.
Questions this story answers
What did Ontario's education minister decide about Toronto school board trustees?
Education Minister Paul Calandra said on October 30 that newly elected trustees for the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board will be sworn in by November 15, 2026. He reversed an earlier position in which he had said trustees would not be sworn in at all. Board supervisors keep their governing power over the two boards, which remain under provincial supervision.
Why were trustees going to be kept from being sworn in?
The Ontario government placed eight school boards under supervision, including TDSB and TCDSB, which stripped elected trustees of governing power. Calandra initially said there was no point in swearing in trustees since they had no official authority. He changed his position after learning some newly elected trustees were planning informal community meetings even without governing power.
What can newly sworn-in trustees actually do?
Under the current supervision arrangement, trustees will be sworn in and subject to the board's code of conduct, but the provincial supervisors will continue to run day-to-day board operations. TDSB trustee Alexis Dawson said trustees can still hold public meetings with constituents, participate in rallies and community events, and represent their communities through various channels, even without governing authority.
What happens if trustees hold community meetings outside the code of conduct?
Calandra said details of any trustee activity that steps outside the code of conduct would be sent to the integrity commissioner for investigation. He described some trustees as looking for ways around the rules and said that is why he decided to swear them in and hold them formally accountable.
When will trustees be sworn in?
Calandra instructed board supervisors and CEOs to have newly elected trustees sworn in by November 15, 2026. This is later than the usual start of the four-year term, which section 6 (1) of the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 puts at November 15 for Ontario municipalities.
Which school boards are affected in Toronto?
The two boards directly named are the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board. The Ontario government has placed eight school boards in total under provincial supervision, though Calandra's comments on October 30 focused on TDSB and TCDSB trustees in the context of the October 26 municipal election.
Who is Alexis Dawson?
Alexis Dawson is a newly elected TDSB trustee who was quoted by CityNews on October 30. She said trustees remain able to represent their communities through public meetings and community events even while board supervisors hold governing authority. Her candidate page is at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/alexis-dawson.
Where can residents follow Toronto school board news?
The Toronto election results page at /on/toronto-2026/results lists every elected trustee for all four school boards, and each trustee's page on this site will track their promises during the 2026 term. The promise tracker for Alexis Dawson is at /on/toronto-2026/candidates/alexis-dawson.
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