Questions and Answers
What is Bill 9?
Bill 9 is the name commonly used to refer to An Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec. Adopted and assented to on April 2, 2026, the Act amended several existing Quebec laws to strengthen the province’s legal framework on laicity, including provisions affecting subsidized private schools. Although the Act came into force in 2026, certain provisions relevant to subsidized private schools will apply beginning April 2, 2029.
What does Bill 9 mean for subsidized private schools that, like Loyola, offer religious teaching, activities, and formation?
For these schools, remaining eligible for government subsidies after April 2, 2029 would require significant changes to the way religion is integrated into the educational experience. Mandatory religious instruction could no longer be used to transmit Catholic beliefs, and religious practices such as Mass, prayer, and retreats would need to be optional and take place outside the hours devoted to educational services.
The legislation also extends the prohibition on wearing religious symbols to personnel of subsidized private schools, subject to grandfathering provisions for certain employees who were already in their positions on April 2, 2026. At Loyola, this would affect, among others, Jesuits joining Loyola in positions covered by the legislation, who would not be permitted to wear clerical attire.
Taken together, these requirements would significantly limit Loyola’s ability to integrate its Jesuit and Catholic identity, formation, and practices into the regular educational experience while remaining a subsidized private school.
Who are the members of the Strategic Assessment and Planning Committee (SAPC) that was struck by the Board of Governors of Loyola High School?
- Anthony Broccolini ’99, Chair of the Committee
- Father Matthew Hendzel, SJ, President of the Loyola High School Board of Directors
- Patrick M. Shea ’90, Chair of the Loyola High School Board of Governors
- Fouad Maroun, President of Loyola High School
- Scott Corbett, Vice-President of Advancement, Loyola High School
- Wendy Polverari, Vice-Principal of Senior School, and former head of the Loyola High School Teachers’ Association
Did the SAPC engage outside consultants?
Yes, the SAPC engaged:
- Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton LLP to furnish a full financial independence feasibility report
- L.S. Financial Services Inc. to furnish a report on the alternative pension plan
Fundraising consultants KCI to:
- furnish a capital campaign capacity and feasibility assessment
- launch a community-wide survey in the summer of 2026
- conduct confidential conversations with potential major donors
What did the summer of 2026 community-wide survey reveal?
1,500 people responded to the survey, which represents a 22% response rate; this is three to four times higher than the typical response rate for surveys of this kind.
81% told us you are open to significant change to protect Loyola’s mission and future. 61% want the Jesuit and Catholic mission of the school preserved while balancing affordability.
Along with this, respondents emphatically told us the following:
- Loyola’s identity: You reminded us that academic excellence, our Jesuit way of proceeding, and our culture of belonging, service, leadership, and care for others are completely inseparable.
- Vision and plan: You asked for total transparency, a compelling long-term vision, and a clear, actionable plan, rather than simply reassurance.
- Openness to change: An overwhelming majority supports making significant changes if necessary to protect Loyola’s mission and secure its future.
- Affordability: You urged us to keep Loyola accessible to middle-income and lower-income families through modest tuition increases, robust financial aid, and building on our existing endowment.
- Balanced approach: You want us to balance mission preservation with long-term financial sustainability, rather than treating them as a trade-off.
- Community engagement: You are ready to give, advocate, volunteer, and open doors as soon as we present a compelling vision, a credible plan, and leadership worthy of your confidence.
The survey was not meant to be a referendum on Loyola’s future. It was meant to help us listen and understand. What you shared reflected real and thoughtful differences of view, which is exactly what an honest conversation like this should surface. Not every idea can be pursued, and not every hope expressed points in the same direction, but each one has helped us better understand this community more fully.
What will Loyola lose by forgoing the provincial subsidy?
The current provincial grant is approximately $6,350 per student, $5.2 million per year, roughly 28% of the school's annual revenue.
What is the cost of moving off the government pension plan?
Loyola’s faculty and staff currently have access to RREGOP, the government pension plan. An independent Loyola will need to establish an alternative, private plan for its employees. To maintain the plan at or near the same levels it will cost Loyola approximately $1 million per year.
What will be the impact on tuition and fees of Loyola becoming fully independent?
In 2026 dollars, forgoing the subsidy and establishing a private pension plan that provides a benefit at or near the same levels for faculty and staff creates a structural gap of roughly $7,500 per student, per year.
As an illustrative example, if that full gap had to be covered today, total fees would move from $12,530 per year to approximately $20,000 to $21,000 per year. Even at full independence, Loyola’s fees will remain materially below those of comparable independent schools in Montreal.
When will tuition and fees go up?
The pace of the increase has not yet been decided. Interim increases beyond normal inflation indexation are likely to begin as early as the 2027-2028 school year. We commit to communicating each year’s tuition fees well in advance so that families can plan.
To be clear, no adjustments to tuition and fees will be made for the 2026-2027 school year.
Why doesn’t Loyola simply comply with Bill 9?
Loyola exists to be a Jesuit, Catholic school, and an apostolate of the Society of Jesus. This is not simply a feature of Loyola among many; it is at the heart of who we are.
Our sponsorship agreement with the Jesuits of Canada and our community’s conviction, expressed overwhelmingly in the summer 2026 community survey, are the same: the mission is not negotiable.
The Jesuit ethos extends beyond religious instruction. Ignatian formation cannot be separated from the character formation, academic excellence, and sense of community that our community has revered for generations. It is woven into the way we educate and form our students to be men and women for and with others.
We considered remaining subsidized and complying with the law and we concluded that this is not in the school’s interest: it would preserve Loyola’s funding by hollowing out Loyola’s core mission and purpose.
Why doesn’t Loyola fight Bill 9 in court?
We considered whether there was a feasible legal avenue available to challenge Bill 9, given that Loyola successfully fought against a provincial decision regarding how religion is taught over a decade ago. That case concerned how a single course was taught and had no financial implications for the government.
Bill 9 is different. It attaches conditions to public funding, and the legislation invokes the notwithstanding clauses under both the Canadian and Quebec charters of rights. Although legal options always remain open, the SAPC determined that a legal challenge was not an effective or strategic path at this time.
What is the plan for financial aid and who qualifies?
Financial aid at Loyola is open to all families, and that will remain a core pillar of our school. Today, roughly 15% of Loyola families receive financial aid.
With a higher ceiling on full tuition, we fully anticipate that significantly more families, including middle-income families who may not have previously qualified, will qualify for financial assistance. We are actively expanding our existing $12.3 million endowment (managed by the Loyola High School Foundation) so that financial aid keeps pace with tuition shifts and Loyola remains accessible to all qualified students.
What will the capital campaign look like?
The Board of Governors authorized the launch of a significant fundraising campaign designed to significantly expand Loyola’s financial aid capacity. We will announce our capital campaign target in the coming months. In the meantime, we are encouraged that significant initial giving intentions have been self-identified through the capital campaign capacity and feasibility assessment that KCI conducted.
Will the potential student applicant pool expand when Loyola becomes fully independent?
Yes. A fully independent Loyola will no longer be constrained by provincial English-language eligibility rules. For the first time in decades, we will be able to welcome any qualified student who shares Loyola’s values, whether or not he or she holds a certificate of English-language eligibility.
What don’t we know yet?
The timeline currently contemplated reflects the best information available to us today. Although the legislation establishes the requirements that subsidized private schools will have to meet beginning in April 2029, important administrative and transitional details remain to be clarified, including how a school would transition from subsidized to fully independent status. Sector associations are actively seeking greater clarity from the Quebec government on these questions, and Loyola is engaged in that effort.
Although our destination, a fully independent, mission-driven Loyola, is clear, our implementation timeline remains strategically flexible. We will continue to monitor developments closely and, where appropriate, adjust our implementation schedule to take advantage of any additional flexibility or transitional arrangements that may become available.
Our objective is to manage this transition carefully and deliberately, on the most favourable terms possible for Loyola and the Loyola community.
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