Dear Waterloo Region supporters,

We need you to please attend the Waterloo Catholic District School Board meeting tonight, Monday May 29th at 6:00 pm, and also to protest outside the board office starting at 5:00 pm before the meeting starts.

Location: WCDSB Catholic Education Centre, 35 Weber St., Kitchener (Directions)

Parents and grandparents have turned out in good numbers at each of the last three Board meetings, but we need the largest crowd there tonight. Why?

We had a big win when the Christianity-hating, white male-loathing, racist bigot, Trustee Wendy Ashby was pressured to resign, but tonight, the stakes are even higher.

By-election vote, or un-democratic appointment?

Three of the eight trustees have been supporting a democratic by-election in order to allow parents to properly vet the candidates and choose their representative for the 3-1/2 years remaining in this term. That requires a proper by-election so that another person like Ashby doesn’t slip through the close scrutiny of voters once again, and Catholic ratepayers end up with another “woke” radical just like her.

However, the majority of Trustees and Director of Education, Tyrone Dowling, have opposed the democratic process. They’re pushing for an undemocratic appointment to replace Wendy Ashby.

These are the same people who attempted to sweep Ashby’s hate speech under the rug, and tried to get away with not censuring her in any way. They cannot be trusted.

If they were allowed to “appoint” a person of their choosing, it could very easily be someone in the mold of Wendy Ashby, whom the Director and majority of Trustees seemingly had no problem with whatsoever.

We expect that one of the good trustees will be putting forward a motion to hold a by-election at tonight’s May 29th board meeting. There are also two parents/ratepayers scheduled to delegate.

Please come out and support the parents and good trustees. The physical presence of a large number of parents and concerned citizens at these board meetings has a positive effect on the decision-making of the board …

Because they know they’re being watched.

If you’re going to join the protest on the sidewalk outside before the meeting, please bring a sign. It can say something like, “We demand a by-election” or “You can’t put a price on Democracy”.

Request for citizen journalism!

We're hoping a few parents in the gallery can use their mobile phones to record the delegations, the debate and the vote on the process to replace ex-Trustee Wendy Ashby. If you can do that tonight, please send us that footage in case we can incorporate it into a post-meeting report.

Video report of last week’s meeting + more background

At last week’s ‘Special Board Meeting’ which was held Wednesday May 24th, parents once again protested outside the WCDSB headquarters, and filled the gallery during the board meeting.

Our own Jack Fonseca, a WCDSB ratepayer himself, was present. You can watch his and other reaction after trustees voted 5 to 3 against an initial vote to hold a by-election. That motion was moved by Trustee Marisa Phillips, also the first trustee to issue a statement condemning Ashby’s hate speech. The CLC video report includes reactions to Director Tyrone Dowling’s pathetic excuses to persuade trustees that the only real option the board has is to hold an undemocratic appointment. Watch it below or click here.

The Director tried to convince trustees that it’s impossible for the City of Kitchener and Township of Wilmot to conduct a by-election within the 90 days prescribed by the Education Act.

What a load of bunkum! Pure balderdash!

The City of Cambridge held an emergency election just last year after it was discovered that some printed ballots had left off the name of a candidate. The municipality had no trouble conducting a new election within the 90 days prescribed by the Act in that situation. I simply don’t believe that the municipalities in question can’t do the same.

Another excuse by the Director to deny democracy and a vote by the electorate, was that the “cost of a by-election was too expensive” and the WCDSB would have to pay $230,000 to conduct it. The reaction of one ratepayer to our videographer was exquisite, “You can’t put a price on democracy!”.

Administration admitted they have enough money set aside in a “reserve fund” which exists for things like this, but tried to steer trustees away from a by-election by suddenly expressing concern that “math and reading programs are underfunded”!

Wasn’t that convenient?

Up until that board meeting, Administration obviously deemed math and reading programs were just fine. That’s obvious since they didn’t use the available reserve fund for that purpose.

But out of the blue, just when there’s a choice to be made between a by-election and an appointment, Administration Staff suddenly become concerned that math and reading have been neglected! Yea, right.

Jack was also interviewed in CTV’s news report, as a WCDSB ratepayer, which you can watch here or by clicking below:

Once again, please do attend the board meeting tonight at 6:00 pm, and if possible, join the protest outside at 5:00 pm.

Contact the Trustees - NOW!

Whether you can attend the board meeting tonight or not, would you please take the time to email the trustees and request that they vote in favour of a by-election at tonight's meeting? If you can also phone them and leave a message, please do.

David Guerin
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2162
[email protected]

Bob Sikora
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2164
[email protected]

Renee Kraft
[email protected]

Kathy Doherty-Masters
(Vice-Chair of the Board)
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2156
[email protected]

Sally Fuentes
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2158
[email protected]

Tracey Weiler
(Chair of the Board)
519-578-3677 Ext. 2131
[email protected]

Linda Cuff
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2168
[email protected]

Marisa Phillips
(519) 578-3660 Ext. 2166
[email protected]