Support Catholic Education

Ensure you are registered as a Catholic separate school supporter

Supporting Catholic Education


Casting a ballotCatholic schools have been educating students in Ontario since before the birth of the province. Currently, Catholic schools offer Christ-centred learning to approximately 550,000 students in Ontario.

In Hamilton, the first Catholic school was opened in 1855. Today, the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board provides a quality, distinctly Catholic education to approximately 30,000 students, K to Grade 12, at 49 elementary and 7 secondary schools each year.

As a Roman Catholic, you have the right to designate your support to your local Catholic School Board whether you own, rent, and have children attending school or not.

It is important now as ever to come together to protect and promote the precious gift of publicly funded Catholic education, and one way to do so is by directing your school support to the separate school board.

 

ALL Catholics are eligible to support Catholic education

You don’t have to have a child in the Catholic school system to designate your support to the English Separate School Board. The only requirement is that you are Roman Catholic.

 

Importance of declaring yourself a Catholic school supporter

  • Your support is a public record of the breadth of support for Catholic education

  • The accuracy of Municipal Voter lists is of crucial importance in our democratic process

  • It is used to determine the number of trustees to be elected to represent your interests

  • It supports our Board’s population projections which affects funding for new schools and planning for special programs

 

Have you moved recently?


Although you may have previously registered as a Catholic school supporter, this designation DOES NOT follow you when you move. Every time you move or if there is a change of ownership, it is imperative that you re-register as an English Separate school supporter.

 

How to confirm that you are registered correctly and where to find the roll number

  • Check the assessment section of your Tax Bill or Property Assessment Notice

  • Check the Voter Information Card sent to you during an election year

  • Visit http://VoterLookup.ca/ to confirm and/or update your elector eligibility information

  • You may also contact the Assessment Department by calling 905-525-2930 Ext 2006; we would be happy to look up your information!

 

Declare your support

It only takes a moment of your time to complete the required form(s) below:

 

Application for Direction of School Support Form

Please complete this form to re-designate your support to English Separate, especially if you have moved addresses. This form must be printed on legal size paper.

Application for Direction of School Support Form

 

Separate School Lease Form

This is an additional document required by the government that allows people who are responsible for the payment of property taxes through ownership, of whom are non-Catholic, to direct school support to the Catholic system.

Separate School Lease Form  Separate School Lease Form

 

Need help filling out the forms?

Below please find examples of how to complete your forms in order for MPAC to process the information:

You may also contact the Assessment Department by calling 905-525-2930 Ext 2006 for more information.

 

 

 

Where to send your completed form(s)

  • Your child’s Catholic school

  • If you do not have a child currently enrolled with our Board, please forward your completed form(s) to:


MPAC
1340 Pickering Parkway
Suite 101
Pickering ON L1V 0C4

OR

Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
ATTN: Planning and Assessment Department
90 Mulberry St., Hamilton, ON L8N 3R9
Municipal Elections

 

Municipal Elections

Under the Municipal Elections Act, municipal and school board elections occur every 4 years on the fourth Monday in October. You must register your Catholic school support designation with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) to be included on the Preliminary List of Electors or contact the municipality to be included on the Voters’ List for Election Day.


To qualify to vote or to be a candidate for Catholic school trustee, you must meet the following criteria:

  • A Canadian citizen

  • At least 18 years of age

  • A Roman Catholic

  • An English-language separate school supporter

  • Reside within the jurisdiction of the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board