Horwath calls for removal of trustees
Education ministry needs to take action in wake of board’s racism report, NDP leader says
Ontario’s Opposition leader is calling on the province to find a way to remove four Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustees from office.
“Should the trustees not voluntarily resign I am once again requesting that you and the Ford government listen to students, to families and community members — including leaders in the board itself — and remove these trustees,” reads a letter from Andrea Horwath, NDP leader and MPP for Hamilton Centre,
sent to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on Wednesday.
The letter references the fact the board’s own human rights and equity community advisory committee is calling on four trustees — all at the centre of a probe into racism and poor conduct — to resign.
“It is clear that these trustees cannot continue on the HWDSB,” Horwath wrote.
Lecce’s office would not commit to any action.
“This is a very serious issue which we refuse to politicize,” said Caitlin Clark, the minister’s spokesperson, in a statement. “We remain squarely focused on driving racism and hate out of our schools and our province.”
The Ministry of Education currently has no power to remove elected trustees from office.
The board has not identified the trustees at the centre of the probe, but The Spectator has confirmed they are Kathy Archer, Becky Buck, Alex Johnstone and Carole Paikin Miller.
Two of them have ties to the NDP. Paikin Miller’s husband, Paul, is the New Democrat MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek. Johnstone ran for the federal wing of the party in the 2015 election for Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.
The board, meanwhile, is still probing allegations of racism or oppression made by former student trustee Ahona Mehdi in August.
In a statement, HWDSB board chair Dawn Danko said the board is committed to “addressing systemic racism and bias, while holding ourselves accountable for our actions.”
“The board acknowledges the challenges and harm caused to members of our community rising from our failure to provide an inclusive and supportive environment for our former student trustee,” Danko said. “We have heard frustration from the community regarding timelines. We are working through an expedited code of conduct process to determine any potential breaches or sanctions.”
A third-party report released Feb. 3 found evidence of racism among some trustees and efforts to silence the Mehdi’s voice. Despite the investigation spanning months and costing $84,000, the board says it was not a “formal” investigation into code of conduct allegations, hence why an internal probe — referred to by the board as using an “alternative process” — is now taking place.
The board initially voted to issue no sanctions to trustees then reversed course and voted to “reconsider” that decision. To date, no sanctions have been imposed.
In the meantime, calls are growing — from the board’s human rights and equity committee, to the students’ advocacy group to which Mehdi belongs, to the public board’s high school and elementary teachers’ unions — for the trustees to resign.
To date, no trustee has commented on the calls, nor resigned.
Asked this weekend if the ministry planned to step in to address the situation at the board, spokesperson Caitlin Clark would not say.
“We expect that the board will take action to combat the very real and long-standing issue of systemic racism in Ontario schools and communities,” she wrote in a statement. “We all have a moral obligation and duty to ensure that we create pathways for success for every student, most especially for those from racialized and under represented communities who have historically faced barriers.”