The deadline given to KPDSB was June 12, 2026. The community is now speaking publicly.

Waldhof, Ontario — Est. 1921

A Community Built It.
A School Board Owns It.

For over 100 years, the people of Waldhof have built, rebuilt, and maintained their community hall. The school board that holds the deed has never used it — and won’t let it go.

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How We Got Here

100 Years of Community.
4 Years of Stonewalling.

The Waldhof Community Hall was built by and for the people of Waldhof around 1920–1921. It has been the heart of this small northwestern Ontario hamlet ever since — a place for weddings, dances, community meetings, and celebrations. The community even rebuilt it, from their own pockets, after it burned down in the 1940s.

In 2022, the Waldhof Ladies Guild wanted to make significant improvements to the building. Rather than proceed without authorization, they did the right thing: they reached out to the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB) to request that ownership be formally transferred to the community — for a symbolic $1.

That phone call revealed something no one had expected: KPDSB had no idea they owned the hall.

What followed was four years of bureaucratic delay, regulatory excuses, and silence. The community still maintains the hall. KPDSB still holds the deed. Nothing has changed.

~1921
The community builds their hall.

Waldhof residents construct the community hall. It serves as the central gathering place for the hamlet from day one.

1927
The Crown sells the land for $10.

The Province of Ontario sells the parcel of land — with the community’s hall already standing on it — to the Public School Board of School Section No. 1 of Mutrie Township. The price: ten dollars. The community is not informed or consulted.

1946
The community rebuilds after a fire.

The original hall burns down. At their own expense, on land they do not own, the community builds a new hall. The sign above the door reads “WALDHOF COMMUNITY HALL 1946” — and still does today.

1990s–
The Waldhof Ladies Guild assumes full stewardship.

The Guild takes over all operational responsibility: paying utilities, carrying out maintenance, booking events, funding improvements. No school board involvement.

2022
The community discovers the truth — and so does KPDSB.

Wanting to make improvements properly, the Ladies Guild contacts KPDSB to request a $1 ownership transfer. This is when KPDSB learns they own the property. Within months, they register their name on the land title — asserting ownership they did not know they had, over a building they have never maintained.

2023
KPDSB cites a regulation as the obstacle — then that regulation is revoked.

KPDSB’s lawyers advise that Ontario Regulation 444/98 prevents a below-market-value sale. In December 2023, that exact regulation is revoked and replaced. KPDSB does not re-engage with the community.

2026
The community sets a deadline — and goes public.

After four years of silence, the Waldhof Recreation Committee writes to KPDSB, MPP Greg Rickford, and Minister of Education Paul Calandra. The deadline was June 12, 2026. There has been no resolution. The community is now speaking publicly.

Emergency Infrastructure

This Hall Is In the Municipality of Machin’s Emergency Plan

On January 12, 2026 — just five months ago — the Municipality of Machin formally adopted their Emergency Response Plan. That plan explicitly designates the Waldhof Community Hall as one of five Regional Registration and Inquiry Centres for receiving evacuated residents in an emergency.

“Clerk to establish a Registration and Inquiry Centre, (Machin Municipal Office, Waldhof Community Hall, Eagle River Recreation Centre, Lions Hall, Lillian Berg School).”
— Municipality of Machin Emergency Response Plan, Appendix B — Reception Plan for Receiving Residents from Outside Machin
By-law No. 01-2026, January 12, 2026

A school board that has never maintained this building, never used it for educational purposes, and openly says it does not want it — owns a building that is formally embedded in the region’s emergency response infrastructure.

The Municipality of Machin’s fire and emergency services already serve the unorganized Township of Mutrie, where Waldhof is located. Machin has built their emergency plan around this building. KPDSB’s inaction puts that planning — and the safety of the region’s residents — at risk.

The Numbers

The Facts Are Clear

$10
What the Crown was paid for the land in 1927

The community’s hall was already standing when the Province sold the land to the school board for ten dollars. The community was not told.

100+
Years of uninterrupted community stewardship

The community has paid utilities, insurance, and maintenance for over a century. KPDSB has contributed nothing to the upkeep of a building it owns.

2023
When KPDSB’s stated obstacle was removed

Ontario Regulation 444/98 — the rule KPDSB cited to refuse the transfer — was revoked in December 2023. KPDSB has never re-engaged with the community.

4 yrs
Of delays since the community came forward

Since 2022, the Waldhof Recreation Committee has received no viable plan, no clear timeline, and no meaningful action from KPDSB or their elected MPP.

Primary Source Documents

See the Evidence Yourself

Everything described on this page is supported by official documents. Below are the key primary sources.

📜
Crown Grant — Instrument PA7379 (1927) Original land title document showing the Crown sold the property to the School Board of School Section No. 1, Mutrie Township, for $10 on November 23, 1927.
⚖️
Cheadles LLP Legal Opinion — March 20, 2023 Legal advice to KPDSB citing Ontario Regulation 444/98 as the obstacle to a $1 transfer. That regulation was revoked nine months later, in December 2023.
What You Can Do

Help the Community of Waldhof

Three actions can make a real difference. Sign the petition, contact the officials who have the power to act, and share this page so more people understand what is happening.

1

Sign the Petition

Add your name to the petition calling on KPDSB to immediately transfer ownership of the Waldhof Community Hall to the Waldhof Recreation Committee — the people who have cared for it for over 100 years.

Sign on Change.org →
2

Contact the Officials

A direct message from a member of the public carries real weight. Below are pre-written emails for KPDSB, MPP Rickford, and Minister Calandra — click to open in your email app, personalize if you wish, and send.

See Contact Details ↓
3

Share This Page

The more people who know about this situation, the more pressure KPDSB faces to act. Share on social media, or send the link directly to journalists, community groups, or anyone who might care.

Contact Officials Directly

Who Needs to Hear From You

Each of the following parties has the authority to move this forward. Click any email link to open a pre-written message in your email app. You are welcome to add your own words.

School Board — Decision Maker

Keewatin-Patricia District School Board (KPDSB)

KPDSB holds the deed to the Waldhof Community Hall. They have stated they do not want or use the property. They are the party who must take action. Director: Christy Radbourne. Superintendent of Business: Richard Findlay.
240 Veterans Drive, Kenora, ON P9N 3Y5

✉ Email KPDSB 📞 807-468-5571
MPP — Kenora–Rainy River

Greg Rickford

MPP Rickford is the elected representative for this community. He has the ability to raise this issue at the provincial level and advocate directly with the Minister of Education. The community has already contacted his office and received no meaningful response.

✉ Email MPP Rickford 📞 1-800-465-8501
Minister of Education — Province of Ontario

Paul Calandra

The Minister of Education oversees school board property under Ontario Regulation 374/23 — the regulation that replaced the one KPDSB cited. The Minister has direct authority to mandate KPDSB to dispose of this property and to direct it to community use as a “provincial priority.” A facility named in a municipal emergency response plan clearly qualifies.

✉ Email Minister Calandra