Federal government gives Ontario $381 million to help with back-to-school plan

TORONTO — The federal government is providing more than $380 million to bolster Ontario’s back-to-school plan.

The money comes as part of a $2-billion funding package Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced this morning.

Trudeau says provinces will decide how they spent the additional funds, and the Ontario government says about $70 million of the $381 million in new funding will be used to hire more educators.

It says $30 million will go towards buying additional personal protective equipment, while $100 million will be put towards items such as extra custodial staff and remote learning tools.

The province says $70 million will be spent on student transportation, with $25.5 million of that earmarked for helping to reduce the number of pupils on school buses.

Premier Doug Ford’s government has been under fire over its return-to-school plan, which will see no reduction in class sizes for students in kindergarten through Grade 8.

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The Canadian Press