The Toronto District School Board has been handed a suspension by the province.
In a letter sent to TDSB director of education Chris Spence Wednesday, assistant deputy minister of education Gabriel Sekaly said that the province “will not provide the board with approval to proceed on any new capital projects” until certain conditions were met.
The conditions listed in the letter include the submission of an acceptable capital deficit recovery program and that the TDSB can demonstrate controls are in place to prevent future cost over-runs.
The letter comes following concerns to the TDSB’s capital deficit recovery plan submitted on Aug. 29.
The letter points to “significant cost over-runs” at Nelson Mandela Public School, located at 440 Shuter St., and the board’s plan to defer $16.5 million in renewal projects to offset cost over-runs.
“The cost over-runs at Nelson Mandela raise serious concerns about the board’s internal processes around oversight on major capital projects,” the three-page letter reads.
Ministry spokesperson Paris Meilleur told CP24 that projects currently underway will still receive the funding promised, and that the move will only affect projects that have not received approval yet.
Full-day kindergarten programs would not be impacted, Meilleur said.
Meilleur said that the board was told about the move yesterday.
The next update to the TDSB’s capital deficit recovery plan is due by Oct. 15.
