TORONTO — The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) is urging the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) to support “open tendering” to help address its funding shortfall, just days after the board passed its budget with cuts in an attempt to eliminate a $34.4 million deficit.
“It seems irresponsible for the board to close swimming pools, and cut music and outdoor education programs when there’s another cost cutting measure it chooses to ignore,” said Karen Renkema, VP Ontario at PCA, in a statement. “It’s time the board put students first, by reducing costs through open tendering.”
According to the PCA, each year, the TDSB spends millions of dollars on repairs and related projects and awards repair contracts to the same companies affiliated with select unions. By restricting competition, repair costs have risen dramatically, the association claims.
“Open tendering is a procurement process that allows all qualified contractors and their workers to bid on, and build publicly funded construction projects,” the PCA notes. “Union affiliation is not a prerequisite. Back in 2019, the TDSB voted to opt out of provincial legislation that would have allowed it to openly tender school construction work.”
Think-tank Cardus has stated the move could have saved the board approximately 21 per cent on construction work, which translates into a $77.7 million savings annually.
The Ontario government is also currently investigating the TDSB’s finances, which Education Minister Paul Calandra says points to a “pattern of mismanagement and misplaced priorities,” PCA states.
The TDSB approved its budget for 2025-2026 last week, which includes a plan to balance the board’s books over the next two years.
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