Imagine a Garden in Every School: Policy Subcommittee
Objective: Conduct an environmental scan of Ontario School Boards to identify
presence of greening policies.
Methodology: With 72 school boards across the province of Ontario, the scope of this
environmental scan was focused on 13 schools boards, all part of the Ontario EcoSchools
program. Ontario EcoSchools is an “environmental education and certification program
for grades K – 12 that helps school communities develop both ecological literacy and
environmental practices to become environmentally responsible citizens and reduce the
ecological footprint of schools.” (www.ontarioecoschools.org/about_us/index.html). As
the values and principles of Ontario EcoSchools align very closely with those of Imagine
a Garden in Every School (IGES), 13 school boards, named by Ontario EcoSchools was
our starting point. This came from an assumption that if a school board supports
Ontario EcoSchools, those same school boards may have policies and procedures in
place to also support the values of the IGES Campaign.
The 13 school boards included in this environmental scan are:
Eastern Ontario French Public School Board (CEPEO)
Conseil scolaire de district catholique des Aurores boreales
Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB)
Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB)
Halton District School Board (HDSB)
Lakehead District School Board (LDSB)
Peel District School Board (PDSB)
Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB)
Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board (TBCDSB)
Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB)
Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB)
Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)
York Region District School Board (YRDSB)
Results:
Policies
While not all of the 13 School Boards examined have explicit school greening or school
garden policies, they all have policies/procedures that support the development of
green spaces on school grounds. Thus these policies/procedures have the potential to
enable the development of school gardens.
School Board
CEPEO
Conseil scolaire de
district catholique
des Aurores
boréales
Policy to Support School Greening
Link to Policy
The creation of school food gardens fit
within the community engagement pillar of
the board’s strategic plan. To start a school
food garden, interested groups and/or
individuals are asked to complete the
board’s planning tool “Grille d’analyse pour
activités communautaires” (Analytical
Framework for Community Activities).
Grille d’analyze pour activités
communautaires:
DCDSB
Environmental Education Policy
PO 433
GECDSB
While the Board does not financially
contribute to the initial cost of the
Regulations for Naturalized
Playspace (R-PL-02)
http://www.csdcab.ca/internet/appels_d
offres
**This tool ensures those wishing to
undertake school related projects
have: 1) planned out the project; 2)
reflected on the intention of the
activity; 3) evaluated the success
and sustainability of the project
http://www.dcdsb.ca/web/library.nsf/0
/48E02ACAB40487A4852576940051F7
0B/$FILE/Environmental+Education+Po
licy.pdf
1|Page
Imagine a Garden in Every School: Policy Subcommittee
HDSB
LDSB
PDSB
naturalized space, it will assist, approve
and assume insurance liability and
responsibility for inspections, minor
maintenance and normal upkeep.
The policy focuses on the development and
maintenance of physical alterations to the
outdoor spaces of school grounds. There is
a specific procedure for approval provided
and the focus seems to be on safety and
ensuring that the responsibility for
maintenance is clearly outlined.
The 3 School Boards in Thunder Bay have
been asked (and agree to!) to develop a
Statement of Support for school food
gardens within board policies and a process
for schools to follow when starting school
food gardens. The Lakehead Public School
Board has developed a committee that
hopes to meet to look including a statement
and supporting process for school food
gardens in its board policy.
Environment Policy
http://www.hdsb.ca/Policy/School%20
Ground%20Greening.pdf
Not available
Policy 74
http://www.peelschools.org/trustees/bo
ardpolicies/Documents/Policy%2074.pd
f
TVDSM
Environmental Education and Management
Program Policy and Procedure
Policy 5002
TBCDSB
The TBCDSB has drafted a school garden
policy which includes both a support
statement and process for school food
gardens. It has been reviewed by the
Board’s Environmental Stewardship Team
(BEST), and is currently being circulated to
principals for further feedback. Some BEST
members have recommended that this new
policy be incorporated into a larger school
greening policy to include school grounds,
food gardens and outdoor classrooms.
TCDBS has Greening Guidelines, developed
by Evergreen.
http://www.tbcdsb.on.ca/f
iles/u16/502__SCHOOL_FO
OD_GARDENS.pdf
TCDSB
http://www.tvdsb.ca/files/filesystem/20
1108_EnvironmentalEducationandManag
ementProgramProcedure1.pdf
Planning & Designing Green
School Grounds
http://www.tcdsb.org/Board/environme
nt/Documents/Evergreen%20Design%2
0Guide%20Planning%20and%20Design%20Gr
een%20School%20Grounds%20(Final)
%20%20April%20%2009.pdf
Guidelines for School Ground
Greening
http://www.tcdsb.org/ProgramsServices
/SchoolProgramsK12/Science/EcoSchool
s%20Documents/TCDSB%20Greening%
20Guidelines.pdf
WCDSB
Sustainable Development Policy, in
recognition of the "interdependence of the
environment, the economy and society and
the challenge of balancing all three in
building a healthy, sustainable future."
(http://www.wcdsb.ca/ap_memos/PDF/A
"The Board will…ensure that an
environmental education
component is incorporated into
school planning processes."
(http://www.wcdsb.ca/ap_mem
os/PDF/APO025.pdf). The
2|Page
Imagine a Garden in Every School: Policy Subcommittee
PO025.pdf)
school board specifically
mentions food gardens in their
discussion of school ground
greening
(http://ecozone.wcdsb.ca/pdf/WCDSB_E
nergyPlan.pdf, page 109)
WRDSB
YRDSB
School Grounds Enhancement Projects
Environment Policy
Policy #460
http://www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/page.cfm?i
d=TP0000002&sn=B
Policy #235
http://www.yrdsb.edu.on.ca/pdfs/p&p/
a/merged/PRO-schgroundsprojects460.pdf
Funding to Support Policies
While the 13 School Boards examined acknowledge the value and importance of
environmental literacy and green spaces in schools, with the exception of WCDSB, in all
cases, financial resources to support policies or specific school gardens are not explicitly
noted. Consequently school gardens are generally financed with external funding from
organizations such as Evergreen (http://www.evergreen.ca/).
In the case of WCDSB, the school board has committed to providing funding to green
projects
that
relate
to
the
board’s
Sustainability
Plan
(http://www.wcdsb.ca/ap_memos/PDF/APO025.pdf).
3|Page