Education Minister Paul Calandra at TMU: Change of course in Ontario’s classrooms

Democracy Forum at TMU, hosted by Toronto Star columnist and Dais Senior Fellow Martin Regg Cohn.

As Ontario’s education minister, Paul Calandra is shaking up school governance and changing course in the classroom. Bring your questions to the Democracy Forum at TMU, hosted by Toronto Star columnist and Dais Senior Fellow Martin Regg Cohn, co-hosted by Toronto Star education writer Kristin Rushowy.

About the Guest
Paul Calandra has been Ontario’s Minister of Education since early 2025. He previously served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Minister of Long-Term Care; and Government House Leader, after winning election as the Progressive Conservative MPP for Markham–Stouffville in 2018. He was also Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and elected as MP for Oak Ridges–Markham in 2008. He holds a B.A. in political science and history from Carleton University.

About the Moderator
Martin Regg Cohn is a political columnist at the Toronto Star. Founder of the Democracy Forum at Toronto Metropolitan University, he is a Senior Fellow at the Dais. A foreign correspondent for 11 years in Asia and the Middle East, he was also Foreign Editor and a Parliamentary correspondent. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

About the Co-host
Kristin Rushowy is a senior writer at the Toronto Star specializing in education and politics on the social issues team. She has covered Ontario politics from the Star’s Queen’s Park Bureau, notably the move to full-day kindergarten. She worked on the Toronto Star’s Autism Project, which was nominated for a National Newspaper Award as well as a Michener Award for public service journalism.

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