A massive deficit is leading the Thames Valley District School Board to make massive cuts to staffing in an effort to save $4.7 million.

The board said in a statement it’s implementing a series of “staffing adjustments” at the central board offices as part of its ongoing financial recovery efforts.

The board would not confirm the number of cuts; a representative for the board said in a statement the cuts would result in $4.7 million in savings on salaries and benefits.

This comes amid several other changes to combat a massive deficit.

Some of these changes have taken effect immediately, and the board reports that others will be phased in over the coming months, and the 2025-2026 school year.

“The changes reflect the Board’s commitment to long-term financial sustainability and ensuring that resources are focused on supporting student learning and well-being,” a representative for the board said in a statement.

The cuts come following a weeks-long financial audit of the board following outrage over controversial sending practices.

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The report found that the financial position of TVDSB has declined from having a surplus of $3.5 million in 2020 to 2021 to an in-year deficit of $17.32 million in 2023 to 2024.

While the projected deficit for the 2024-25 school year is expected to improve slightly to $16.8 million.

The board has already implemented savings measures including the staffing cuts for the 2024 2025 school year, which would reduce $16.8 million deficit to an adjusted deficit ranging from $15.9 million to $13.7 million depending on which cuts are made.

“While these decisions are difficult, they have been made with a clear focus on securing the Board’s financial stability and ensuring that resources remain available where they are needed most. The Board is committed to providing support for staff who are impacted by these changes,” a representative for the board said in a statement.

All this comes following highly criticized spending practices and the board’s director of education stepping down in March.

In March the board announced that that the board of trustees accepted Mark Fisher’s resignation.

Fisher has been on a leave of absence since early September 2024, which took effect just days before the school board revealed the cost of an off-site planning meeting in Toronto, totaling $38,444.92.

This includes transportation, the Blue Jays’ stadium hotel, meeting spaces and food expenses.

Following the controversy over the trip, Ontario’s Ministry of Education announced an audit of the board, which resulted in them finding the $16.8 million deficit.

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A dog park in the east end of Hamilton was recently closed by the city after a survey of the soil showed it may contain harmful contaminants that could be harmful to dogs, according to an update from city council.

The update said an investigation was launched last summer after an area resident told the city that they believed the soil at the Birch Avenue Leash-Free Dog Park had led to health conditions for dogs, including illness and death.

In January, an outside company completed soil sampling and analysis, which found issues with the soil. At that point, tests were done to determine risks to people before the city said it shut the park down out of an “abundance of caution” on Friday.

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“Recent testing has identified the presence of some contaminants, including heavy metals. While there is no indication of risk to humans, the potential effects on dogs require further investigation,” Cynthia Graham, director of environmental services with the city, said in an emailed statement.

The city did not say why it waited for further testing to close the park rather than chain it up in January when the initial test results arrived.

“We understand that dog owners who use this dog park may have concerns about the potential for soil contamination and the well-being of their pets. Please be assured that the City continues to prioritize the health and safety of both residents and their pets,” Graham said.

The dog park was opened in 2010 on a site that had been used as a disposal location for non-hazardous fill, including brick, rubble and concrete.

“When the park was established in 2010, staff reviewed background site studies and determined the soil met the environmental standards required at that time for park use,” Graham explained.

“In June 2025, the city received an expert opinion that common use of the site by humans, with the grass cover in place, poses no immediate risk to people. However, due to the natural wear in dog parks that can expose soil, further review is underway to assess potential impacts on dog health.”

Hamilton did not say how long the park will be closed for as it waits for the results of a detailed analysis focused specifically on dog health.

“Once that review is complete, the city will share the findings with council and the community, along with an action plan if any recommendations are provided,” Graham said.

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It was a tearful and emotional day at the sentencing hearing Tuesday for the two men convicted of the senseless shooting of three childhood friends in Regent Park nearly four years ago, including 27-year-old Thane Murray, a youth worker who died.

Noah Anderson and Junior Jahmal Harvey sat quietly as Murray’s mother delivered her victim impact statement, crying as she spoke about the devastating effect the murder of her son has had.

“What did my family do to deserve this? We are good people. We try to get along with everybody. It is hard to talk about my son in past tense. So, I say he was a good kid. He never gives anyone trouble, very respectful, kind, caring and helpful, loving, funny and so much more,” Dawn Murray told court.

Anderson and Harvey were found guilty by a jury in April of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The jury believed they were two of the four suspects seen walking into a parking lot near Sumach and Oak streets just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2021, armed with guns and firing 59 shots.

Assistant Crown attorney Karen Simone told court: “On April 26, Harvey and Anderson were convicted of the most cold, calculated act. In addition to an automatic life sentence, the Crown is seeking life sentences for the attempted murders of (Murray’s friends)”.

One of Murray’s friends was shot once in the foot, the other sustained 11 gunshot wounds.

“Their lives have been changed forever. They ran for their lives under sheer, excessive gunfire. Their evil should not go unpunished,” Simone told Superior Court Justice Gillian Roberts.

One of the survivors wrote in his victim impact statement about how, after the shooting, his eyesight went white, and he felt someone holding his hand, which kept him alive.

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“From the waist down I was paralyzed, in a coma for three weeks,” he said. “I was fed through tubes, had a catheter in my body, and breathing with medical assistance. Once I woke up out of the coma, my arm was in a cast, and I couldn’t move for another three weeks. As time went by, nurses would help me physically into a wheelchair, so I could move around the ICU.

“The doctors had to go through two weeks of antibiotic trials to find ones that would work for the infection that happened in my kidney because of the incident.

“The nurses helped me to start to learn to walk again while I was still in the ICU, between the hospital and residential rehab at Bridgepoint I was in residential care for almost 4 months,” he wrote.

After Bridgepoint, he went home and had to live with an ileostomy bag for one year and in total, had seven surgeries.

The survivor said he also suffered post-traumatic stress disorder in the months after the shooting. He can no longer play basketball nor does he hang out with friends outside anymore.

Rob Perry, who had known Murray since he was a child and worked for the Salvation Army in Regent Park, spoke about the chilling effect of the shooting on the community.

“Thane’s death brought me, and a whole neighbourhood, immense sadness and grief. It was also a wake-up call. Sadly, in a community like Regent, I became used to funerals, and saying goodbye to young people I had known their whole lives. What made Thane’s loss different was that he really did try to do everything right,” Perry wrote.

“With this loss, we were not grieving unfortunate choices made by someone we love or wondering how we could have done better to rescue him from a path of drugs or violence. Thane was never into those things. He was quiet, he was faithful, he tried to be a good person. I do not elevate him as some kind of hero of the community who campaigned for justice or rescued people from the street.

“But in a way, he was a hero, as he chose the harder path — that is to try to be good, to make positive decisions, to operate with thoughtfulness and kindness, and not to follow the negative stereotypes or paths some of the people he grew up with may have followed.”

Many of the authors of the victim impact statements spoke about how ironic it was that a man who fought to help youth stay out of trouble was murdered by young men — both Anderson and Harvey were only 20 years old at the time.

“Gun violence isn’t new in our community, but this, this was different. Thane wasn’t in the streets. He wasn’t involved in that life. He worked with youth, giving them guidance and inspiration. To lose someone like him so violently and senselessly felt like a nightmare we couldn’t wake up from,” Jahmeeka Hussey told the court.

“It left many of us questioning: What’s the point of doing good if this is the outcome? It robbed our youth of hope. Thane was proof that change was possible, and now that light has been stolen,”

Simone and assistant Crown attorney Alexander Merenda told Roberts that there was no motive or reason for the shooting. Simone suggested the lyrics and rap song found on Anderson’s cellphone are strong evidence of an animosity towards Regent Park, “an oppositional area to that of Mr. Harvey and Mr. Anderson.”

The defence argued that a more appropriate sentence for the two attempted murder convictions would be 12 and 15 years. Both Harvey and Anderson will serve an automatic life sentence with a period of parole ineligibility of 25 years for the first-degree murder.

The sentences for the attempted murder will be served concurrently.

Neither Harvey nor Anderson stood up and addressed court when they were given an opportunity. Roberts will deliver her decision on a sentence for the attempted murder convictions next month.

The Crown alleges the two other suspected shooters are Jabreel Elmi and Rajahden Angus-Campbell. Elmi was arrested in Saskatoon in January, more than three years after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Angus-Campbell remains at large. A trial date has yet to be set for Elmi.

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