Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025

RÉSUMÉ DU REGISTRE OFFICIEL

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SCHEDULE 1 CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES ACT, 2017 The Schedule makes the following amendments to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 : 1. Currently, section 15.1 of the Act requires children’s aid societies and licensees whose licence is issued under Part IX (Residential Licensing) of the Act to provide children and young persons with information about the Ombudsman that is set out in subsection 14.0.1 (1) of the Ombudsman Act . This section is re-enacted to provide for additional circumstances in which such information must be provided, including to persons entering into an agreement under section 124 of the Act. The section, as re-enacted, also requires children’s aid societies and licensees to use language that is suitable to the understanding of the child, young person or person in question when providing the information. 2. The Act is amended to require children’s aid societies to review their by-laws, update them in accordance with the results of the review and make them available to the public. The specific requirements for the review and for making by-laws available to the public are to be determined by regulations made by the Minister. 3. A new section 41.1 of the Act requires children’s aid societies to obtain the Minister’s approval to enter into an agreement with respect to a financial transaction or to enter into a financial arrangement if the financial transaction or arrangement is one that is deemed by the regulations made by the Minister to impact on a society’s ability to operate within its approved budget allocation. 4. The definition of “institution” in section 62 of the Act is amended to eliminate the current exclusion of maternity homes from the scope of that definition. SCHEDULE 2 EDUCATION ACT The Schedule makes various amendments to the Education Act , including the following: 1. The Act currently includes provisions setting out specific situations when there may be an investigation of a board’s affairs. Amendments provide that, instead, an investigation may be directed if the Minister has concerns about a matter of public interest. Matters of public interest include whether boards, board members and directors of education are carrying out their duties under this Act in an appropriate manner. Provisions are included that address the powers of investigators and possible actions that may be taken after an investigation. 2. Amendments provide that the Minister may give directions to the board to address a matter of public interest if, in the Minister’s opinion, a board, board member or director of education has done or omitted to do something, or is likely to do or omit to do something, that could affect a matter of public interest. Control and charge of a board may be vested in the Minister if a board does not comply with a Minister’s direction, or in certain other circumstances. Currently, such vesting orders must be made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. 3. Currently the Act requires boards to have external auditors and audit committees. The Act is amended to also provide for Ministry auditors and internal auditors, and to make related amendments. 4. The Minister is given power to establish policies and guidelines respecting school board expense policies. 5. A requirement is added for boards to work with local police services to provide them with access to school premises, permit them to participate in school programs and implement school resource officer programs. 6. A new section requires boards to apply to the Minister for approval of the name of a new school or to change the name of an existing school. Provisions are included respecting the approval process and what the board may do upon approval or rejection of a name. 7. Related regulation-making powers are included. SCHEDULE 3 MINISTRY OF TRAINING, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACT The Schedule amends the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act . New section 16.0.2 requires colleges of applied arts and technology and publicly-assisted universities to assess applicants based on merit and to publish the criteria and process to be used for assessment into programs of study. The Lieutenant Governor in Council is given authority to make related regulations. New section 20.1 requires colleges of applied arts and technology and publicly-assisted universities to develop and implement research security plans. New section 21.1 authorizes regulations to be made by the Lieutenant Governor in Council governing fees that colleges of applied arts and technology or publicly-assisted universities may charge to students or require students to pay. New section 24 provides that in the event of a conflict or inconsistency between the Act or a regulation made under the Act, other than a regulation made under section 18 of the Act, with any other Act or regulation, the Act or the regulation made under it prevails. SCHEDULE 4 OMBUDSMAN ACT