Ontario Pledges $41M for School Resource Officers

0:00The Ontario government and its 2026 budget pledged more than $41 million over three years to bring back school resource. Officer programs across the province, the money aims to lower violence in schools and build better ties between students, teachers and police. This comes after Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act passed last year, which required school boards to partner with local, police on these programs. Back then, no specific funding was set aside. Protesters gathered outside the legislature in August, pushing instead for more education aids, mental health workers and counselors. Groups like policing, free schools called it harmful to kids. Toronto dropped its program in 2017. After students said they felt targeted, and teacher unions reported 77% jump in, school violence since the Ford government started in 2018. It's still unclear how the funds will get divided among boards, or when the officers might start showing up in schools.

1:00As this rolls out, it could reshape safety measures in classrooms, balancing enforcement with community needs. From your city, powered by AI, this is Toronto News Today.