The federal government is injecting $381 million into the Ontario government's back to school plan.
The funding is part of $2 billion of flexible funding announced Wednesday by the federal government to help provinces and territories send kids back to school.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they decided to inject the additional funds after hearing the anxiety expressed by parents across the country.
"We said let's give the province's even more resources to be able to do everything that is necessary to keep our kids safe," said Trudeau. "What they choose to do will be up to them."
The province has announced the additional funds will go toward complementing its existing back to school plan.
“Ontario’s investments lead the nation in supporting priorities like more cleaning, physical distancing, testing, and hiring of staff to ensure a safe reopening of our schools this September,” said Stephen Lecce, minister of education. “Today’s investment by the federal government complements the already landmark investments made by our government in support of safe and healthy schools in Ontario.”
The plan will inject another $200 million for reopening schools. As part of that, the government has dedicated $70 million to hire additional educators where required.
Another $70 million will be spent on student transportation. This will support the Driver Retention Program and put more buses on the roads to reduce the number of students on each bus.
The plan also includes $36 million for ensuring each school board has a dedicated principal and administrative support for both its secondary and elementary virtual schools.
The province is also setting aside $50 million for future pandemic learning needs to prepare for a possible second wave in the fall.
On top of the $2 billion, the federal government announced an additional $112 million to support schools in First Nations communities.
