Education platforms

Here's what the candidates in Scarborough Southwest, and their parties, are promising.

Childcare

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ONDP

  • Create 53,000 new, public or not-for-profit affordable childcare spaces
  • Establish a regional waitlist for childcare spaces with a single Daycare Application Portal

    "We will end the stress and uncertainty of applying at dozens of child care centres and following up endlessly to secure a spot and establish one single Daycare Application Portal for each region to make it easier to find quality childcare close to home." — On Your Side, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Establish a wage grid for childcare workers and ensure decent work standards

    "We will establish a wage grid for child care workers and ensure decent work standards to keep them on the job." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Invest in French-language childcare

    "We will ensure access to French language education programs close to home, and invest in French-language child care, a proven gateway to French language education." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Remove rules limit municipalities in creating their own childcare spaces
  • Reduce fees for before- and after-school childcare, and negotiate with the federal government to expand $10-a-day to school-age children
We don't have any Green policies on Childcare.
We don't have any PC policies on Childcare.
We don't have any Liberal policies on Childcare.

Francophone education

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ONDP

  • Invest in Francophone education in French school boards and French immersion programmes in the English system

    "We’ll invest in Francophone education in French school boards and French immersion programs in the English system." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

    "We will protect the right to Francophone education. Francophones in Ontario have the right to access to government services, health care, retirement living, and kindergarten-to-post-secondary education in French, in French-language institutions. We’ll invest in Francophone education in French school boards and French immersion programs in the English system and redouble efforts to ensure there are enough Francophone teachers in the system." — On Your Side, retrieved 2025-02-22

We don't have any Green policies on Francophone education.
We don't have any PC policies on Francophone education.

Liberal

  • Support community and cultural partnerships, training, inter-board cooperation, and hiring additional French educators

    "Strengthen French education across Ontario by supporting community and cultural partnerships, training, inter-board cooperation and hiring additional French educators." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

K-12 funding

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ONDP

  • Reverse cuts to education

    "We will reverse Ford’s education cuts and invest in a new, needs-based funding formula. The Ford government has cut education funding by $1,500 per student since 2018, leaving schools with fewer teachers and larger class sizes." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for Southwest Ontario & Niagara, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Review the funding model for schools to focus on student needs, not numbers of students

    "We will review the funding model to focus on student needs and not numbers of students to support vulnerable students." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Fix funding for student transportation

    "And we’ll make sure students can get to class reliably and on time by fixing Ford’s broken student transportation funding." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

    "We will fix student transportation funding. Students across Northern Ontario lost bus services when the Ford government increased the distance eligibility. Attendance rates among students in Thunder Bay who lost access to the bus service have dropped. We will make sure you can count on a school bus to come on time for your child to get to and from school safely, by fixing the student transportation funding formula." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

We don't have any Green policies on K-12 funding.
We don't have any PC policies on K-12 funding.

K-12 learning needs

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ONDP

  • End the practice of streaming for students with disabilities

    "We’ll end the practice of streaming and make sure we are using data to support more equitable schools." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Review the funding model for schools to focus on student needs, not numbers of students

    "We will review the funding model to focus on student needs and not numbers of students to support vulnerable students." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

We don't have any Green policies on K-12 learning needs.
We don't have any PC policies on K-12 learning needs.
We don't have any Liberal policies on K-12 learning needs.

K-12 staffing

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ONDP

  • Hire more teachers, educational assistants, child and youth workers, ECEs, and custodial and trade workers

    "Hire more staff. Large class sizes, less direct support, it can be hard to learn in Ford’s Ontario. Dedicated teachers, educational assistants, child and youth workers, ECEs, custodial and trade workers – they make all the difference helping students get the one-on-one attention they need and maintaining a nurturing learning environment. Having more caring adults in schools makes them safer for everyone." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Create incentives for mental health professionals, social workers, and speech and language therapists to work in schools in the North

    "We will improve access to Autism services by creating incentives for mental health professionals, social workers and speech and language to work in schools and community settings in the North." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Consult on restoring one-year teacher's college programmes to get more teachers in the system faster

    "We will consult on the restoration of one year teacher’s college programs to help get more qualified teachers in the system, faster." — On Your Side, retrieved 2025-02-22

We don't have any Green policies on K-12 staffing.
We don't have any PC policies on K-12 staffing.

Liberal

  • Expand funding, eligibility, and flexibility for the Safe Schools Grant programme

    "Allow schools to address their unique staffing and infrastructure needs by expanding funding, eligibility and flexibility for the Safe Schools Grant program." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Set lower student-to-teacher and education-worker ratios

    "Allow every elementary, middle or high school student to have support and supervision in the classroom by establishing a lower student-to- teacher and education-worker ratio." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Hire more mental health professionals, educational assistance, Early Childhood Educators, social workers, and child and youth workers

    "Hire more mental health professionals, educational assistants, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), social workers, child and youth workers and other staff, lowering the ratio of students to education workers in the Core Education Funding." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Commit to mutual respect and collaboration with students, parents, teachers, unions, and admins

    "Commit to mutual respect and collaboration between the Ministry of Education, students, parents, teachers, unions and administrators starting with a commitment to not blindside educators with Friday afternoon announcements." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Reintroduce a one-year teaching degree to address the teacher shortage

Post-secondary costs and loans

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ONDP

  • Reverse cuts to OSAP
  • Convert all OSAP loans to grants, so all students graduate debt-free
  • Cancel outstanding student loan interest owed
We don't have any Green policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.
We don't have any PC policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

Liberal

  • Remove interest on OSAP loans
  • Raise the income threshold for repayment of OSAP loans to $50K

Post-secondary institutions and funding

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ONDP

  • Increase per-student funding by 20% for post-secondary institutions, and tie future increases to inflation

    "We’re committed to investing in public post-secondary education, permanently increasing base funding and investing in research and innovation to maintain our competitive edge." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for Southwest Ontario & Niagara, retrieved 2025-02-20

    "Innovation starts with education. We’re committed to investing in public post-secondary education at institutions like Lakehead University, Northern College, Cambrian College, and funding a dedicated French Universite de Sudbury. We will permanently increase base funding and ensure they have the reliable funding they need to deliver world-class education." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

    "We’ll invest in public post-secondary education, increase per student funding by 20%, and tie future increases to inflation. Universities and colleges are at a breaking point, many posting deficits and cutting programing. Decades of Liberal and Conservative cuts have left Ontario with the lowest per-student funding in Canada for post-secondary education. We would work with the sector to review the funding formula to sustain Ontario’s world class post- secondary education and keep up with growing demand and student needs." — On Your Side, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Fund a dedicated French Universite de Sudbury
  • Work with Indigenous post-secondary institutions to offer more programmes and credentialing

    "We will work with Indigenous post-secondary institutions, like the Seven Generations Education Institute to offer more programs and credentialling." — On Your Side: The Ontario NDP Plan for the North, retrieved 2025-02-20

We don't have any Green policies on Post-secondary institutions and funding.
We don't have any PC policies on Post-secondary institutions and funding.

Liberal

  • Cap international student enrolment at 10% for each Ontario college and university
  • Expand campus resources and affordable student residence options
  • Increase funding to colleges and universities to help their dependency on international student enrolment
  • Mandate post-secondary institutions to focus on generating intellectual property and commercialising their skills, technologies, and ideas

    "Establish a province-wide policy mandating post-secondary institutions to increase their focus on IP generation and commercialization, and business adoption of skills, technologies, and ideas." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

School construction and upgrades

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ONDP

  • Invest an additional $830M/year in school repairs

    "Fix our schools. Ontario’s schools are saddled with a massive repair backlog left behind by the Liberals, and it has only grown under Ford’s Conservatives. Freezing classrooms without heat in the winter, gyms and cafeterias with leaking roofs. We’ll fix schools to give students a high quality, nurturing learning environment. We will invest an additional $830 million a year to clear the repair backlog within 10 years while keeping up with school maintenance needs." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

We don't have any Green policies on School construction and upgrades.
We don't have any PC policies on School construction and upgrades.

Liberal

  • Double annual capital funding for schools to clear the school repair backlog and install heating, AC, and air filtration systems

    "Clear the school repair backlog and install heating, air conditioning and air filtration systems in every classroom by doubling annual capital funding for schools." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

  • Build 90 new schools over the next four years

    "Build 90 new schools over the next four years and ensure that no school needs to use portables." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22

School curriculum

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We don't have any ONDP policies on School curriculum.
We don't have any Green policies on School curriculum.
We don't have any PC policies on School curriculum.

Liberal

  • Expand access to STEM, robotics, coding, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, economics, financial literacy, and civics courses

School nutrition

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ONDP

  • Create a universal school food programme, using fresh food prepared and grown in-province

    "Feed students. Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach. Families are facing record high grocery bills, and inflation from tariffs could drive up costs even further. We’ll create a universal School Food Program so that every child in Ontario is set up to succeed. Ontario already feeds some kids in school, we’ll expand it for all and use fresh food prepared and grown right here in Ontario to do it. We can help kids focus on their teacher, not their hunger, and give families some financial relief." — ontariondp.ca, retrieved 2025-02-20

  • Double funding for the First Nations School Nutrition Program
We don't have any Green policies on School nutrition.
We don't have any PC policies on School nutrition.

Trades

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ONDP

  • Create thousands of new jobs in residential construction, and keep skilled labour employed during market slowdowns

    "Homes Ontario will help create thousands of new jobs in residential construction, while keeping skilled labour employed in periods of market slowdown." — On Your Side, retrieved 2025-02-22

We don't have any Green policies on Trades.

PC

  • Require all electrical workers to be registered apprentices or have a certificate of qualification

    "Doug Ford renewed the Ontario PCs’ commitment to enforce compulsory certification in the electrical trade and ensure all electrical workers in Ontario are registered apprentices or have a certificate of qualification." — ontariopc.ca, retrieved 2025-02-19

Liberal

  • Provide opportunities for skilled trades and health care workers through union-led training programmes
  • Provide tax credits for employers who hire young people through paid co-op, internship, and apprenticeship programmes

    "Cut youth unemployment by half by creating 40,000 new paid co-op, internship and apprenticeship positions through tax credits for employers who hire young people." — Getting the Basics Right: A Plan to Do More For You, retrieved 2025-02-22