Section 33 of the School Amendment Act (Bill 34), contains an amendment to section 96(3) of the School Act. The amendment came into effect on January 17, 2003. School boards are no longer required to obtain approval from the Minister of Education for the disposition of land or improvements. However, the disposition of land or improvements remains subject to the orders of the minister. A new Ministerial Order M16, the “Disposal of Land or Improvements Order”, also came into effect on January 17, 2003. The Order requires school boards to create policies and procedures that are publicly available, and which provide for consideration of the future educational needs of the school district, and for the disposition of land or improvements through a public process and at fair market value. School boards are also required to inform the Minister of the disposition of land or improvements and the allocation of any proceeds from that disposition.
