Ottawa-Carleton District School Board financial investigation

Since 2021-2022, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) has been reporting in-year deficits and is reporting another expected shortfall in 2024-2025. At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, the board had completely depleted its reserves, reporting:

• an accumulated deficit of $5.9 million in the 2023-24 school year
• probable accumulated deficit of $9.3 million in the 2024-25 school year

We appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) to:

• validate the school board’s current financial position
• evaluate the board’s compliance with the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Act, 2014
• recommend whether control and charge of the board should be vested in the ministry

While the board has implemented or plans to implement various cost savings measures, the report revealed that it may not be sufficient to eliminate the accumulated deficits for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

Based on the findings and recommendation in the financial investigator’s report, we are appointing a supervisor to take over the governance and decision-making functions of the OCDSB, including financial management, policy implementation and operational oversight.

As a result of the OCDSB’s accumulated deficit in 2023-2024 and probable accumulated deficit for both the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, the financial investigator recommended that supervision of the OCDSB is warranted.

Read the investigation report (PDF)

We appointed Robert Plamondon, delegated by the Minister of Education, to:

• review the operational efficiencies and opportunities to improve resource allocation
• develop and implement a plan to return the board to a balanced financial position while protecting the best interest of students
• enhance financial oversight and governance by ensuring transparency and accountability in financial operations
• report progress on these actions to the ministry

About the supervisor

With a career spanning over 35 years, Mr. Plamondon is a respected leader with deep expertise in governance, finance, public policy and public administration. He has played a central role in advancing financial and management reforms, while championing innovation and transparency in financial reporting across all levels of government, including Crown corporations and agencies. Mr. Plamondon currently serves on several audit and governance committees, including OPTrust – a jointly sponsored pension plan established by the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), serving over 100,000 members and managing $27 billion in assets. An accomplished author and academic, he is the director of several leadership development programs at the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute. Mr. Plamondon holds the FCPA and ICD.D designations in recognition of his contributions to the profession and commitment to excellence in governance.

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