The Ontario Ministry of Education has released it's findings from an investigation into the Near North District School Board.
In summary, this report alleges:
- a history of governance dysfunction at the board and trustee level
- a deeply fractured relationship between the board and the trustees due to a lack of mutual respect
- a perception of "shadow leadership" towards the board's director of Education, which has led to a lack of leadership
- various questionable decisions made in regard to the planning and execution of the new K-12 Mega School which directly led to the ongoing issues faced in construction now
- years of trust by the community in the NNDSB being eroded due to lack of appropriate leadership
- and various other inappropriate actions by trustees and certain executive board members
The Ministry of Education is now calling on immediate action from the Board of Trustees with a 15-day window to complete this, which includes:
- setting up an external review of the Director of Education's performance
- creating a professional development plan
- completing a review of policies and procedures
- setting up an external review of human resource practices within the school board
- provide an audit of executive compensation
- and provide regular and timely updates on the progress of the new K-12 Mega School being built in Parry Sound
This is a small snapshot of the 33-page report of findings presented to the Ministry of Education by the investigator put in charge of this review.
You can find the full report with all of these details listed here: https://www.ontario.ca/files/2025-10/edu-nndsb-review-en-2025-10-30.pdf
Minister Calandra has also provided a statement on this serious situation:
"The report confirms deep-rooted dysfunction within the Near North District School Board that has eroded public confidence. It found that several trustees lack a basic understanding of governance practices, while others allegedly pursued personal agendas and ignored staff recommendations.
To restore effective governance and rebuild trust, I am issuing binding directions to the board to implement all recommendations in the report.
I expect the board to act immediately, without delay or excuse, to correct these failures and put students first. If they do not, I will not hesitate to take further action to ensure accountability and restore stability."
A reminder that YourTV was told in it's last request for comment from the NNDSB in September that the board would no longer be responding to media questions and that reporters would be directed to the board website for further updates on board matters. However, YourTV has still reached out to the Near North District School Board for comment.
YourTV has also reached out to the Board of Trustees for comment.
YourTV will continue to follow this story and provide more updates on this developing situation as they become available.