A review of school capacity, building conditions, capital funding and outstanding projects in Ancaster, Binbrook, Glanbrook, and Mount Hope. By Melissa Baxter | October 18, 2026 When millions of dollars are announced for school construction, renovations and infrastructure improvements, how much of that investment is reaching our local schools? Which schools are operating beyond capacity? Which buildings require significant maintenance? How much funding has been approved, and

School Boards Must Respond to School Council Recommendations School councils do more than organize fundraisers and school events. They have a legislated role in improving student achievement and strengthening accountability to parents. Under Ontario Regulation 612/00, Sections 20 and 21: School councils can make recommendations to their principal or school board on any matter. School boards must consider each recommendation submitted by a school council. School boards must ad

Last night’s HWDSB Finance & Facilities meeting was informative and in some areas, surprising. There is clearly a lot of capital work moving forward across the Board, including progress on the new Binbrook elementary school and the Mount Hope addition. At the same time, I think residents should be looking closely at how capital and renewal priorities are being balanced within our Wards 11 and 12. Ancaster High is one example of a school that has received significant capital i

HWDSB released its 2025–26 EQAO results this week. There were some improvements, but the results are mixed. At Grade 3, writing increased by 2 percentage points, math increased by 2 points, and reading remained at 70%. Grade 6 results decreased by an average of approximately 2 points across reading, writing and math, although HWDSB reports that Grade 6 achievement remains about 4 points higher on average than it was in 2022–23. Grade 9 math increased by 2 points, while Grade

Binbrook and the surrounding Glanbrook community continue to grow. New homes mean new families, and new families mean more students. That growth is good for our community. But it also raises an important question: Are we planning our schools quickly enough to keep pace? The numbers suggest this is something families, and the next Board of Trustees, need to keep watching closely. Some schools are already well over capacity According to HWDSB's long-term accommodation planning,

Community concerns deserve more than a forwarded email This started with the Mount Hope community. I recently asked parents, caregivers, students, neighbours and community members across Wards 11 and 12 what they like about their neighbourhood schools — and what they believe could be better. In less than 14 hours, Mount Hope had become one of the communities I heard from the most. Residents raised concerns about traffic, parking, drop-off and pickup, pedestrian access, discon