Parkdale—High Park's candidates' promises on Education

Childcare

ONDP

Create 53,000 new, public or not-for-profit affordable childcare spaces
Establish a regional waitlist for childcare spaces
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

We don't have any Green policies on Childcare.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Childcare.

Communist

Ensure $10-a-day childcare is implemented and accessible
Move towards a provincial system of universally accessible and quality public childcare, free of charge.
Raise wages for childcare workers and require ECE certification.
Introduce 24-hour/7-days-a-week childcare, for parents who work shift schedules or who have personal/family emergencies.

We don't have any PC policies on Childcare.

Francophone education

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 don't have any Green policies on Francophone education.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Francophone education.

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

Indigenous learning

We don't have any ONDP policies on Indigenous learning.

We don't have any Green policies on Indigenous learning.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Indigenous learning.

Communist

Expand Indigenous language learning, including at the PSE level
Provide equitable standards for quality education for Indigenous students living on or off reserves.

We don't have any PC policies on Indigenous learning.

K-12 funding

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 Liberal policies on K-12 funding.

Communist

End public funding for Catholic schools and enact a single, secular public school system in Ontario.
Deliver a new, needs-based funding formula to provide adequate and guaranteed funding, from provincial general revenues, to public schools.

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

K-12 learning needs

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 Liberal policies on K-12 learning needs.

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

K-12 staffing

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

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

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

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

LGBTQ+ students

We don't have any ONDP policies on LGBTQ+ students.

We don't have any Green policies on LGBTQ+ students.

We don't have any Liberal policies on LGBTQ+ students.

Communist

Support gay-straight alliances in Ontario schools, enforce trans rights, and restore legal funding for court challenges.

We don't have any PC policies on LGBTQ+ students.

Post-secondary costs and loans

We don't have any ONDP policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

We don't have any Green policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

Communist

Eliminate tuition fees for post-secondary education
Cancel student debt
Provide a living stipend to all post-secondary students.

We don't have any PC policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

Post-secondary funding

ONDP

Permanently increase base funding for post-secondary institutions

"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
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 funding.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Post-secondary funding.

Communist

Increase funding to public post-secondary education and end corporate funding and privatization.

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

School construction and upgrades

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 Liberal policies on School construction and upgrades.

Communist

Immediately fund the $16.8 billion backlog in maintenance for Ontario schools.
Provide stable capital funding to pay for ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

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

School curriculum

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 Liberal policies on School curriculum.

Communist

Expand Indigenous and French-language education, including at the PSE level.
Eliminate explicit anti-communist propaganda in educational materials and ensure that curriculum is based on evidence-based research.

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

School nutrition

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 Liberal policies on School nutrition.

Communist

Introduce a provincial food and nutrition program, based in all schools and communities.

To ensure that every person in the province has access to a proper diet.

We don't have any PC policies on School nutrition.

Trades

We don't have any ONDP policies on Trades.

We don't have any Green policies on Trades.

We don't have any Liberal policies on Trades.

Communist

Expand apprenticeship programs and invest in youth employment.

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