University of Toronto by Stuart Spivack
A group of people connected to the University of Toronto Schools has decided to fight the official decision of the University of Toronto to evict the elite high school within the next decade. The school was established in 1910 by the Faculty of Education as a testing school for future teachers and new pedagogic approaches, and has resided at 371 Bloor St. W. ever since. The high school board had filed a request for a $48-million refurbishment; however, it was rejected by the university last month. Instead of granting the proposal, the university asked the school to relocate by 2021.
Getting over the hurdle
John Duffy, the Liberal strategist and UTS alumnus leading the initiative, commented on the situation: “The UTS is more than a real-estate agreement and it’s more than an administrative division of OISE. It’s a living, breathing institution with a century-long association with U of T.”
The group’s aim is to persuade the university to change the decision or at least to repeat the decision-making process. They claim that the way the measure was passed was neither accountable nor transparent enough for such an important step. So far, the group members admit that they do not have a clear notion about the tactics of their campaign.
However, university representatives see no reason to go through the decision-making process again, as the university stuck to the process outlined in its affiliation agreement. They further officially invited the initiative members to play an active role in assisting and controlling the relocation process.
