UPDATE #4: PRESS RELEASE, FOIs & more
UPDATE #4: PRESS RELEASE , FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS (FOI) and much more...
Thank you to everyone who reached out to offer help and has been instrumental in moving items along that were outlined in the last communication. Based on conversations with some parents after our July 12th meeting, there have been 4 extra suggestions, hence you will find the added items to the list:
ITEMS COMPLETED:
- NEWLY ADDED ITEM - An informal records request made to MonAvenir
Email sent on July 15, 2026
Following our meeting on Sunday July 12th, a parent who is familiar with the process has suggested reaching out to MonAvenir’s Construction office to request documents from them directly. A MonAvenir representative, Marie-Lynn Bergeron, advised us to send the request along. A very detailed email request was sent to her, and a reply came back quickly after from Clémence Leveau-Vallier (MonAvenir`s Executive Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing, and Community Engagement) re-iterating the same message sent out to the school community on July 8th. Basically, rejecting our request.
2. NEWLY ADDED ITEM – FOI - Request for Access to Records under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) sent to MonAvenir
Mailed on July 17, 2026 with registered mail
A few parents suggested and collectively we have drafted the request for information.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request is used when one wants to obtain records that a public institution has not voluntarily provided. In Ontario, school boards are governed by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), which gives the public the right to access most records held by a school board, subject to certain exemptions.
Our FOI request sent to MonAvenir relates to the planning, approval, funding, procurement, modification, implementation, and community engagement associated with the project, including records documenting any changes made to the originally approved project. Information requested for all records as they relate to:
- Original Project Approval and Funding
- Project Scope Changes
- Artificial Turf / Natural Grass Decision
- Procurement, Contracts and Financial Records
- Funding Allocation and Reallocation
- Decision-Making and Approval Process
- School Community Information Session and Survey
- Final Project Outcomes
It was indicated by Marie-Lynn Bergeron that the request can take up to 30 days. On the School Board’s website it is stated that the request can take up to 60 days. Mail was received by the Board on Monday July 20th at 12:51.
3. PRESS RELEASE - “Parents Call for Transparency and Accountability Following Sudden Changes to Major Schoolyard Redevelopment Project at Sacré-Cœur de Toronto school”
Most recent version updated on July 22, 2026. Please feel free to provide feedback by 9pm - Friday, July 24th to Yelena.nichilo@gmail.com
ITEMS IN THE WORKS - will be included in the next update
4. Public Awareness Article - “How A School Board Could Be Doing More for Their Students: The Lost Opportunity at Sacré-Coeur de Toronto”, by Livio Nichilo
Completed on July 22, 2026. The article will be available shortly to be shared on social media and other platforms. Please start thinking about where to spread in your channels and beyond. Please email me your suggestions.
5. NEWLY ADDED ITEM– Request for Freedom of Information (FOI) to the Ministry of Education.
This request will follow suit this weekend after the press release is sent out. We will be requesting from the Ministry the following items:
- Original Project Approval and Funding
- Project Scope Changes - were they notified
- Artificial Turf / Natural Grass Decision - were they notified
- Procurement, Contracts and Financial Records
- Funding Allocation and Reallocation - were they notified
- Decision-Making and Approval Process
- School Community Information Session and Survey - were they notified
6. NEWLY ADDED ITEM - Email will be sent to Trustees Nathalie Dufour-Séguin and Rhea Dechaine informing them of the Press Release, Requests for FOIs submitted.
Trustees have an obligation to respond within 5 days. They will likely inform the School Board officials of the steps we have undertaken.
Below is the Press Release. Please have a read through and contact me directly if you have any suggestions/comments/questions about the Press Release or as it relates to this project. yelena.nichilo@gmail.com
By the way, the digging and removal of asphalt has begun at our schoolyard.
Thank you for your continued engagement,
Yelena Nichilo
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TORONTO, ONTARIO — JULY 22, 2026
Parents Call for Transparency and Accountability Following Sudden Changes to Major Schoolyard Redevelopment Project at Sacré-Cœur de Toronto school
A group of parents from École élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Cœur de Toronto is calling for greater transparency and accountability after Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (CSC MonAvenir) made significant changes to a major capital redevelopment project only days after publicly announcing it.
Parents emphasize that the issue has become one of lack of responsible stewardship of public funds, lack of public accountability, lack of transparent decision-making and an absence of meaningful public consultation.
"School boards are entrusted with millions of dollars in public funds to make decisions that benefit students and its surrounding community," said Yelena Nichilo, President of the Parent Council at École élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Cœur de Toronto. “We expect the Board to engage experts for advice when certain questions arise.”
On June 19, 2026, CSC MonAvenir announced a comprehensive redevelopment of the school's outdoor facilities, including reconstruction of the schoolyard asphalt; parking lot improvements; four new soccer goal nets; and replacement of the existing unsafe soccer field with a modern artificial turf field. The Board promoted the project as providing improved drainage, year-round field use, enhanced safety, greater opportunities for physical education, and the ability to host inter-school soccer tournaments.
However, following concerns raised by a small group of parents, the Board announced a virtual information session on June 24th with only two days' notice, followed by a one-question survey open for just one weekend. Parents note that the one-question was asking families to choose among three field options. It did not provide balanced information comparing costs, long-term maintenance, durability, operational maintenance implications, nor did it ask broader questions about community priorities or student use.
Only eleven days after the original announcement, the Board announced that the artificial turf scope had been replaced with a natural grass field, an investment reduction by hundreds of thousands of dollars. Based on publicly available procurement records, the project had been under development for months before families were invited to attend an info-session or complete the one-question survey. Parents are seeking clarification on whether contracts had already been awarded before the project scope changed, and if so, how those changes affected procurement, project costs, and the use of public funds.
Although the info-session was poorly attended and the survey results have never been released, Board stated that community feedback informed the final decision. Following the scope change announcement on June 30th, parents repeatedly requested an in-person public meeting with senior Board officials to better understand how and why the project changed. Despite those requests, no public meeting has been held. Work has begun.
Parents continue to seek answers to several fundamental questions:
- What factors led to the project's significant redesign (less than 2 weeks after its original announcement and just weeks before the start of construction) after the Board presented the benefits of a turf field and recommended it as the preferred option for our school, although stating that the initial cost of turf would be significantly greater than the installation of the natural field grass?
- How much of the funds had been reallocated and where after the change of scope?
- The Board said if a natural grass field is installed, in 14 months the field will return to the present condition and will require $50k/year in field upkeeping, which the Board said it won’t fund. Is the installation of grass field a responsible use of public funds?
- What financial impact resulted from changing the project scope?
- Why was there an absence of a consultation on a major capital project?
- Why were the information session and survey done on such short notice?
- Why have the survey results not been released?
"Every child deserves access to quality spaces to play, grow, and belong. Parents are simply asking for confidence that this public investment will deliver the greatest possible long-term benefit for the children it was meant to serve." said Erica Bonnick, a parent volunteer who leads free sports clubs for Sacré-Cœur students.
To date, parents say they have received general mention that "no funds were lost" and that funding was "reallocated," but no information has been shared where the hundreds of thousands of dollars went or if the revised project will deliver benefits equivalent to those originally approved or if the funds were absorbed by the last minute penalty costs. Parents are concerned that significant project changes were made without transparency and neglecting the intended use of the field that is to withstand high foot traffic.
"This project should have united our community around an investment in our children's future," said parent Olivier Rheault. "Instead, the process created confusion, frustration and division. Transparency builds trust, and that's what parents have been asking for from the beginning."
Media Contact - Yelena Nichilo, Parent and President of the Parent Council, École élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Cœur de Toronto
Email: Yelena.nichilo@gmail.com - Phone: 416-876-5332