NEWS RELEASE Bernard Murray Acclaimed as President of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, April 25, 2006—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to announce that Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board trustee, Bernard Murray, has been acclaimed as President of OCSTA at the Annual General Meeting held on April [...]

NEWS RELEASE Brenda Kormendy to Represent Interests of Provincial Catholic School Boards on CCSTA Board FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, April 26, 2006—Brenda Kormendy, Chair of the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, was recently acclaimed as the official Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) Representative on the board of directors for the Canadian Catholic School [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ministry Acknowledgement of Salary Shortfall a Positive Step for Education FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, June 13, 2006—“OCSTA is pleased to see a significant increase in the overall allocation for education and an acknowledgement of the salary gap problem that we have identified to the Ministry,” said Bernard Murray, President of the Ontario Catholic [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Trustees Welcome New Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto (September 18, 2006)—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) welcomes the appointment of MPP, Kathleen Wynne as the new Minister of Education. OCSTA believes the new Minister will bring important insight to this leadership role given her prior experience [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Boards Welcome Government Focus on Values and Character Development FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, October 18, 2006—“Catholic schools in Ontario have a 150-year tradition of nurturing academic, spiritual and character development in our students,” said OCSTA President Bernard Murray. “As such, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association welcomes the provincial government’s new [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ontario Catholic School Boards Welcome Trustee Website FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, October 24, 2006—“The Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association is pleased to support the launch of a new interactive website for parents and others interested in school board leadership and education in this province,” said Bernard Murray, President of the Ontario Catholic School [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Boards Welcome Increased Program Choices Made Possible by Learning to 18 Legislation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO (December 13, 2006)—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association is encouraged by the greater range of program choices made possible by the recent passage of Bill 52 - Learning to 18.. “Catholic school boards are dedicated [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Trustees Welcome Timely Announcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO (March 19, 2007)—“We congratulate the Minister of Education for the timely announcement of the Grants for Student Needs. Receiving this information in mid-March will greatly assist school boards in the 2007-08 budget planning process,” said Paula Peroni, Vice President of the Ontario Catholic [...]

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Catholic School Board Association Election Results Toronto, May 4, 2007—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to announce that the following trustees have been elected/acclaimed to the position of Regional Director during the April 27th Annual General Meeting in Toronto: Region 1: Peter Delguidice, Northeastern CDSB – Acclaimed [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Boards Welcome New Funding Announcement FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO (August 14, 2007) —“This is a good news story for our boards,” said Bernard Murray, President of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) reacting to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s announcement today of an additional investment of $182 million in Ontario’s elementary and [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Boards Vigorously Oppose Any Attempt to Disrupt Ontario’s Publicly Funded Catholic Schools FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 24, 2007—“I speak on behalf of the 650,000 students in Catholic schools and the 2.4 million Catholic school ratepayers who support our system, when I express my deep dismay at the assault launched today by [...]

NEWS RELEASE OCSTA Welcomes Government’s Continued Focus on Education FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, March 26—“The $315 million increase in education funding for 2008-09 is a clear recognition of education as a continuing provincial priority,” said Bernard Murray, president of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). A number of initiatives included in the March 25 [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ontario’s Catholic School Trustees’ Elect New Leadership At Association’s 78th Annual General Meeting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—April 29, 2008—Over 200 members of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) gathered last week in Niagara Falls to elect new executive members during the 78th Annual General Meeting of the OCSTA membership. OCSTA is pleased [...]

NEWS RELEASE Cooperation Key to Catholic School System’s Collective Bargaining Success FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—November 27, 2008—Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic school boards are pleased to acknowledge that the negotiations for new four-year collective agreements covering all elementary and secondary teachers in the province’s publicly-funded Catholic schools have successfully concluded. As well, collective agreements with other [...]

NEWS RELEASE Education Remains a Priority in Provincial Budget FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO—March 27, 2009—The 2009-10 Ontario Budget continues to recognize the province's publicly funded education system as a provincial priority within a very challenging economic environment. The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) views the education allocation in the budget as a welcome affirmation [...]

NEWS RELEASE Finding Good News in Challenging Times: Ontario’s Catholic Schools FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto (May 4, 2009) - From May 3-8, Ontario's Catholic school boards will be celebrating Catholic Education Week which is this year celebrating the theme "Catholic Education: Good News for All." This annual promotion celebrates the distinctive contribution that Catholic schools [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ontario’s Catholic School Trustees’ Elect New Directors to Provincial Board At Association’s 79th Annual General Meeting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—May 13, 2009—Over 200 members of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) gathered last week in Toronto to elect Regional Directors to the Association’s Board during the 79th Annual General Meeting of the [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Boards Welcome Full-Day Learning FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto–October 28, 2009–The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) welcomes the government’s announcement on full-day learning for four- and five-year olds. Research consistently indicates that the positive impact of a comprehensive early learning program on a child’s development is significant and lasts a lifetime. [...]

NEWS RELEASE Veteran Educational Leader to take the Helm at Catholic School Board Group FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—December 2, 2009—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association—the only organization speaking on behalf of publicly funded Catholic school boards in the province—has appointed veteran educational leader Kevin Kobus to take over the reins in May of 2010. The [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic Trustees Elect New Leadership and Welcome Minister of Education at 80th Annual General Meeting FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—May 3, 2010—Almost 200 members of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) gathered last week in Thunder Bay to elect new executive members during the 80th Annual General Meeting of the OCSTA membership. OCSTA [...]

NEWS RELEASE Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to Catholic Education Acknowledged at Group’s Annual Awards Event FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - PICTURES ATTACHED Toronto—May 6, 2010—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) presented two trustees with the provincial OCSTA Award of Merit for outstanding leadership and service to Catholic education during the group’s recent Annual General Meeting [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Trustees Applaud Flexibility in Extended Day Program Delivery FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—December 16, 2010—“The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association welcomes the government’s proposal to give school boards the flexibility to determine locally a method by which the JK/K Extended Day Program will be delivered. Allowing boards to partner with third party [...]

NEWS RELEASE OCSTA Welcomes Return of Trustee Governance FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—January 28, 2011—“I am very pleased that the trustees at the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) will resume full governance control of the board,” said Nancy Kirby, President of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). As elected officials, trustees’ perspectives reflect those [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ontario Budget Protects Education During Recovery: OCSTA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—March 29, 2011—“The government’s deliberate focus on protecting education during this period of economic recovery is encouraging,” said OCSTA president, Nancy Kirby in response to the release today of the 2011 Ontario Budget. While the budget announcement reaffirmed the government’s planned roll out [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Trustees Honour Service, Elect New Leaders FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—May 5, 2011—Over 200 members of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) gathered last week in Toronto to acknowledge and honour the publicly elected men and women who dedicate their time and effort to addressing the needs of students and families [...]

NEWS RELEASE Education Remains a Priority in Provincial Budget FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, March 27, 2012 – The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) views today’s budget announcement regarding education funding as a commitment to maintaining the government’s current education strategy. The announcement also reflects bold decisions to address current economic realities. “Today’s budget announcement [...]

NEWS RELEASE OCSTA Executive Officers Acclaimed at 82nd AGM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, April 30, 2012 – Over 200 members of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) gathered in Kingston, Ontario last week to witness the installation of the Association’s executive officers during the 82nd Annual General Meeting of the OCSTA membership. OCSTA is [...]

NEWS RELEASE Legislation Does Not Put Students First FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, August 16, 2012 – Today’s announcement of proposed legislation to dictate the terms and processes for labour negotiations in Ontario’s public schools attempts to infringe upon the democratic role and historic success of education in this province. The bargaining process currently in place [...]

News Release Bad Policies Do Not Put Students First TORONTO, Aug. 28, 2012/CNW/ School boards in this province have serious concerns about the proposed legislation, Putting Students First. The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association feels strongly that the parents of Ontario expect school boards to protect the quality of education in the classroom and the [...]

TORONTO, Aug. 28, 2012/CNW/ Yesterday the Minister of Education, The Hon. Laurel Broten, announced revisions to the government’s proposed legislation, Putting Students First, that would remove segments placing restrictions on the system-wide use of diagnostic assessment data to help students and introducing seniority as a key determining factor in the hiring of teachers. Today Catholic [...]

NEWS RELEASE YouTube Video Contest Highlights the Value of Ontario’s Unique School System FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—January 11, 2013—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) announced today the winners of a unique YouTube short video contest for high school students designed to highlight the value of education in Ontario’s Catholic schools. Last fall OCSTA invited [...]

NEWS RELEASE Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association Congratulates Premier-designate, Kathleen Wynne FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2013—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to congratulate Kathleen Wynne as the new leader of the Liberal Party and the next Premier of Ontario. “As a former school trustee for the largest school board in [...]

TORONTO, March 15, 2013— The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) welcomes Pope Francis, as the 266th Bishop of Rome and the new leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its 1.1 billion members throughout the world. “On behalf of Catholic school trustees who serve as guardians, stewards and advocates for the 600,000 students in [...]

NEWS RELEASE   Toronto—November 28, 2013—“In our education system it is the publicly elected school trustee who represents the interests and aspirations of parents. That is an important and integral role in public education which is why today the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association welcomes the news that the order vesting the supervision of the [...]

NEWS RELEASE Toronto—January 21, 2014—As part of Ontario’s diverse and vibrant public school system, Catholic schools have a distinctive faith-based approach to education that is rooted in Gospel teachings. Catholic schools celebrate this distinctiveness in many ways throughout the year including the semi-annual Faith in Our Future Short Video Contest for students (hosted on the [...]

NEWS RELEASE Toronto—April 4, 2014— Toronto – The Board of Directors for the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Danielle Takacs as Director, Legislative and Political Affairs effective April 14, 2014. “The OCSTA hiring committee was very impressed with Ms. Takacs breadth of experience in the legislative and [...]

Faith in Our Future - Advent Video Contest FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—January 21, 2015—Students in grades 4 to 12 at Ontario’s Catholic schools recently created unique 2-minute videos about life, hope, love and acceptance as part of a video contest sponsored by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). Today the Association announced first, second [...]

NEWS RELEASE Toronto—April 30, 2015—Catholic Education Week in Ontario happens next week, from May 3-8,  but this year students have added a new component to the event—the first ever Ontario Catholic Student Youth day (#OCSYD) happening on May 7, 2015. Premier of Ontario, The Hon. Kathleen Wynne, celebrities Rick Mercer and Catholic school alumnus, Enrico [...]

NEWS RELEASE Toronto—May 4, 2015—On the occasion of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association’s (OCSTA) 85th Anniversary, over 200 delegates gathered on May 1, for the Association’s Annual General Meeting in Toronto to elect regional representatives to the board and to acknowledge and honour the service and commitment of Catholic trustees. “I’m inspired by the [...]

TORONTO, September 18, 2015—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association is pleased to announce the ratification of central terms for a new three year collective agreement with the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association. “The process of labour negotiations involves a commitment to understanding the perspectives, the interests and the experiences of all parties involved. The agreement [...]

TORONTO, November 2, 2015–“I am pleased to report that the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) as part of the Council of Trustees’ Associations and the provincial government have together successfully negotiated a tentative agreement on central terms of a collective agreement for CUPE education workers in Ontario’s schools,” said Kathy Burtnik, President of OCSTA. [...]

TORONTO, November 23, 2015—“I’m pleased to acknowledge that on November 21, the Council of Trustees' Association - comprised of Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques; the Ontario Public School Board Association and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA) - successfully negotiated a tentative settlement on central terms of a collective agreement with the Education [...]

Toronto—January 13, 2017—What’s in a name…of a school? Students at Ontario’s Catholic schools answered that question in 2-minute videos as part of a contest sponsored by the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA). The winning videos were announced today. "A lot of thought goes into naming Catholic schools and for good reason as names have a role [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic School Trustees Honour Service, Elect New Leaders FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto—May 1, 2017—The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to announce the results of its Annual General Meeting election held on April 28. “I want to thank all candidates who stepped forward to be a part of this election. Serving [...]

NEWS RELEASE Themes of Reconciliation and Renewal Launch Catholic Education Week in Ontario FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO—May 1, 2017—This week all of Ontario’s publicly funded Catholic schools will be celebrating the significant contribution that Catholic Education has made to local communities, the province and to Canada. Catholic Education Week runs from April 30 to May [...]

NEWS RELEASE Announcement Responds to OCSTA Concerns about Equitable Access to Broadband Connectivity FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO—May 15, 2017—OCSTA is encouraged by the Ministry of Education’s announcement today of an initiative to improve access to high-speed connectivity in schools across Ontario. The roll out of the first wave of improved broadband access will impact 73,000 [...]

NEWS RELEASE OCSTA Welcomes Commitment to Strengthening Rural and Northern Education FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO–June 28, 2017–The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) views today’s announced changes to the Pupil Accommodation Review (PAR) process and key funding enhancements for rural and northern schools as a positive step towards addressing the distinctive needs and concerns of [...]

NEWS RELEASE The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association Welcomes Investment in Youth Mental Health FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto – March 21, 2018 – The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association commends and applauds the provincial government’s investment of an additional $2.1 billion into services and strategies to address mental health needs and addiction in Ontario. The [...]

NEWS RELEASE OCSTA Welcomes Provincial Government’s Strong Commitment to Education FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto – March 26, 2018 – The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association welcomes the provincial government’s release today of the 2017-18 Grants for Student Needs (GSN). “Today’s government announcement demonstrates a commitment to increasing resources to better address special education needs of [...]

NEWS RELEASE Beverley Eckensweiler Acclaimed as President of OCSTA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto – April 30, 2018 – The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) is pleased to announce that Beverley Eckensweiler, Chair of the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board, was acclaimed as President of OCSTA at the Association’s Annual General Meeting and Conference on [...]

NEWS RELEASE 2018 OCSTA Awards Recipients FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO – May 1, 2018 – The Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association (OCSTA) Awards Program recognizes Catholic Trustees, Student Trustees and other leaders in Catholic education who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and service to others while exemplifying the values that are at the core of Catholic [...]

NEWS RELEASE Catholic Education Week in Ontario Highlights Catholic Youth Day and Service FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO – May 7, 2018 – This week students, parents, teachers, staff and communities across Ontario will be celebrating the significant contribution that Catholic education has made to life in this province. New this year will be the launch [...]