Direction of School Support
You can choose how your municipal property taxes support education. By directing them to the English Separate (Catholic) system, you support faith-based learning in our community and have the opportunity to vote for Catholic school board trustees in municipal elections. By supporting Catholic education through your School Support Designation, it helps strengthen and protect publicly funded Catholic education in our community.
In Ontario, every property owner and tenant is required to designate which school board they choose to support. This designation determines your eligibility to vote in school board elections and ensures that education funding is directed to the school system you support.
In accordance with provincial legislation, school support is assigned by default to the English Public school board unless you actively choose otherwise.
All Catholic families and supporters are encouraged to review their current designation and, where appropriate, update it to English Separate (Catholic) to reflect your commitment to Catholic education. Updating your designation helps ensure that your tax support and voting rights align with your intention to support Catholic education in Durham Region.
How to Check Your Current Designation
Your existing school support designation can be found by:
- Checking the assessment section of your Property Assessment Notice
- Checking your last Voter Information Card received during a municipal election year
How to Update Your Direction of School Support
School support designations are managed by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). You can easily review or update your designation by:
- Changing your school support through the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) Online School Support Designation Portal: https://school-support.mpac.ca/
- MPAC has a customer contact centre to assist with the online school support tool: https://www.mpac.ca/en/contact
- Download the fillable PDF application form and follow the mailing instructions on the application.
Learn more about directing your school taxes on the MPAC website:
Have You Moved?
Even if you have been an English Catholic supporter in the past, the designation does not follow you when you relocate. Every time you move, it is essential that you re-declare yourself as a Catholic school supporter.
Contact Us
For information on how to change or update your direction of school support, please contact our Admissions Department at 905-576-6150 ext. 22211 or Admissions@dcdsb.ca.