School Support Designation

In Ontario, every property, whether owned or rented, is assigned a school board for taxation and electoral purposes. This is known as school support designation.

Even if you do not have children, or your children do not attend school locally, you are still required to be associated with a school board. The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) collects and records this designation for every property in the province.

Your school support designation determines which school board trustee you can vote for in the municipal election. MPAC manages the designation, and it defaults to English Public unless you change it. If you want your vote to count toward a different school board (e.g., Catholic or French), you must update your designation.

The Township of Muskoka Lakes is served by two publicly funded school boards:

Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB)

• • • Serves all of Muskoka, as well as the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.
    • Operates public (non‑Catholic) elementary and secondary schools across the region.
    • Visit the TLDSB Website

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB)

• • • Serves Muskoka and Simcoe County.
    • Operates Catholic elementary and secondary schools, with Muskoka Catholic schools located mainly in Bracebridge and Huntsville.
    • Visit the SMCDSB Website

These are the boards you may designate as your school support designation and whose trustee elections you may vote in during municipal elections.