Legislative Update
COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream
On October 28, the government announced that up to $1.05 billion in combined federal-provincial funding would be released through new the new COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream.
In a media release issued that day, OCSTA President Patrick Daly explained that “this significant investment will support Catholic Boards in their commitment to provide the safest, highest quality learning environments possible for their students and staff.”
Most of the funnding announced – up to $700 million – is directed towards education-related projects to be nominated and administered by the Ministry of Education.
Eligible projects under the COVID-19 Resilience Stream will fall into four main categories:
- Community, recreation, health and education renovations (e.g. retrofits, repairs or upgrades to long-term care homes, publicly funded schools and co-located childcare centre facilities, recreation centres or shelters);
- COVID-19 response infrastructure (e.g. heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, new builds or renovations to enable physical distancing);
- Active transportation (e.g. parks, trails); and
- Disaster mitigation, adaptation, or remediation (e.g. flood mitigation).
School boards must submit project proposals by November 18, 2020. Approvals will be granted by the end of January 2021, with the goal of providing boards sufficient time to commence construction by summer 2021. Eligible projects must begin by September 30, 2021, be substantially completed by December 31, 2021, and be in viable schools that will remain open through January 2027.
Provincial Budget and 2021-2022 Grants for Student Needs (GSN)
The provincial government will be tabling its 2020 budget on November 5, 2020. Key priorities areas will be “health care, supporting people, and economic recovery.”
Called to Serve
This academic year, as part of the faith formation program OCSTA is focused on profiling the ‘Call to Serve’ as trustees in Catholic education. Trustees have such a distinct and critical role in the education sector, that it is important to celebrate and proclaim this vocation and why Ontario’s 237 Catholic trustees have chosen to answer this call.
Video is an ideal medium for sharing the stories Catholic trustees have to tell about what it means to answer the calling to serve as a Catholic school trustee.
We invite you and those in your community to visit our Called to Serve section of the website where videos have been uploaded that feature trustees at Catholic school boards across the province explaining the inspiriation for their calling and the distinctive role they are fulfilling in service to students, their community and the Church.
Quincentennial Jubilee of Christianity in the Philippines
This year marks the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines and at several Catholic school boards throughout the province celebrations have taken place to mark this milestone.
Each of us is asked to reflect in gratitude for our shared Christian journeys, while acknowledging the arrival of Christianity in the Philippines 500 years ago.
In celebration of the Quincentennial Commemorations of the Philippines, Sentro Rizal Toronto of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, in collaboration with the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), announced an open art competition.
The theme of the Art Competition is Pagsulong at Pag-asa Mula sa Pandemya (Healing and Hope from the Pandemic).
The Art Competition is open to all elementary and secondary students in the City of Toronto. Deadline to submit is December 3, 2020.
For more information about this Art Competition, please refer to the Art Competition Poster and Guidelines.
Treaties Recognition Week
This week (Nov. 2 – 6, 2020) Catholic and public school boards across Ontario are promoting Treaties Recognition Week. This acknowledgement and promotion helps to raise awareness of the key findings arising out of the Calls to Action detailed in the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
During this week information shared virtually through various mediums will help Ontarians to learn about the importance of treaties and how they are applicable today as we build and strengthen respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
Upcoming Events
2021 Catholic Trustees Seminar
Catholic Register Contest
The Catholic Register is conducting its 10th annual children’s Christmas drawing contest. The top entry in each of 3 categories will receive a $75 Amazon gift certificate, plus a 6 month subscription to our digital edition. The winning drawings will appear in The Register’s Christmas edition, December 20, 2020; and will appear on The Register’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
Rules
- The contest is open to children enrolled in Grades 1-8.
- One prize will be awarded to the top entry in each of these categories: Grades 7-8, Grades 4-6 and Grades 1-3.
- Entries must be original, in colour, drawn or painted on a page 8.5” x 11” or larger, and illustrate some aspect of the birth of Jesus at the first Christmas in Bethlehem.
- For electronic submissions: minimum resolution 300dpi, in jpeg or PDF format.
- A completed entry form is required for every entry. All entries must include the signature authorization of a parent or guardian. Entries become the property of The Catholic Register.
- Electronic submissions can be sent to contest@catholicregister.org. (Email entries must include: Child’s Name, Address, Phone number, Grade, Age, and parent/guardian authorization.)
- Judges’ decisions are final and entries may be published in The Catholic Register at the editor’s sole discretion.
Entry form can be downloaded here. Please print out the form and send it with your submission.
Please send entries to:
Christmas Contest, The Catholic Register,
1155 Yonge St., Suite 401,
Toronto, ON
M4T 1W2
Winning entries will be published in The Register’s Easter Edition, scheduled for December 20, 2020.
0 Comments