Update: Bill 13 will soon apply to independent schools
It’s (almost) official. Bill 13, though supposedly not designed to affect private or independent schools, most likely will. I’m not surprised. I’ve been arguing since December that it would eventually. I thought the change would be pushed through from inside the Ministry of Education. Instead, Barbara Hall, the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, will do the heavy lifting. She stated at the Bill 13 Committee hearings on May 15 that,
“All schools—including public, Catholic and private—have a legal duty to provide students with an educational environment free from… forms of discrimination because of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, disability and sex, including gender identity.”
So there we have it. It’s not a question anymore. Independent Christian schools in Ontario can expect investigations, reviews, etc. from the Ontario Human Rights Commission if not the from the Ministry of Education. Contact your MPP to express your disapproval of continued government interference with your child’s education and to encourage them to protect the autonomy of independent schools.
For more on ARPAs legal arguments to the Committee on Bill 13, see here and for a summary of Bill 13 and its potential affect on Christians in Ontario, see here.
