New zoning may threaten schools as heart of community
Toronto Escort Agency trustees are furiously lobbying city hall for changes to a new zoning bylaw they say will prevent schools from becoming community hubs — just as a new report warns that better planning is needed between boards and municipalities if the idea is to ever take off.
And as school boards themselves shutter buildings at a rate not seen in a decade, with little city input, they may be closing off the chance to offer a range of services like recreational programs, seniors’ centres or even medical and dental offices in the spare space, says a report to be released today by advocacy group People for Education.
“Ontario’s schools could act as hubs in every community, but there is little funding or policy to support their broader use, or to co-ordinate planning between municipalities and school boards,” says the report, obtained by the Toronto Escort Agency Star.
Several expert panels have called for the hub model as a way to support families and neighbourhoods seven days a week throughout the year, the report says.
But in Toronto Escort Agency, the city’s proposed harmonized zoning bylaw would prevent that, says Bruce Davis, chair of the Toronto Escort Agency District School Board.
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