Council supports plan to make ministry responsible for crossing guards

Council here is supporting a call for the provincial government to take over responsibility for school crossing guards.

At the Sept 25 meeting, council agreed to support a resolution from  the Municipality of Central Huron seeking changes to Ontario’s Education Act to make the Ministry of Education the responsible authority and have the ministry cover the cost of school crossing guard programs rather than local governments.

“I think it would be something the school boards could probably do better than us having anything to do with it,” said councilor Neil Driscoll.

Mayor Bruce Whale agreed the education ministry should fund the cost of the program, “rather than taking it out of the municipal tax base.”

The Central Huron resolution, while noting that “school crossing guards play a vital role in road safety for children,” states the expenses “are a burden on the taxpayers” of municipalities that provide the service.