Sorry— not sorry? School board motion to apologize to rural leaders dies behind closed doors
“By any stretch what happened, under the municipal act, was illegal, poor governance, no accountability,” Deputy Mayor of Thames Centre Kelly Elliott says about a decision earlier this week by the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB).
On Tuesday during a closed-door in-camera meeting, TVDSB Trustees discussed a motion to formally apologize to rural leaders who participated in the Rural Education Task Force (RETF).
It was ‘out of order’ by Chair Lori-Ann Pizzolato in public session but the board has offered no further explanation.
“It’s unfortunate how it all played out because there really was a chance to mend the bridges,” says Elliott.
In March, members of the Rural Education Task Force placed their draft report on the agendas of several rural municipal councils in Oxford County, Elgin County, and Middlesex County so the public would see the results of two years' worth of work.
The RETF claimed they were being silenced by TVDSB despite being appointed to dig into key issues in rural education since the summer of 2019.
The school board responded at the time with a tersely worded letter to the Oxford County CAO stating the decision to post the draft report was an 'egregious breach' and directed them to ‘remove the draft report from the agenda.'
It stated a failure to do so would constitute a betrayal of the statutory and jurisdictional authority and mandate of the (school) board.
The letter further angered many rural politicians, including Elliott.
Tuesday’s motion appeared to be an attempt to mend fences before it was ruled to be ‘out of order’ by TVDSB trustees.
The motion read:
- Whereas: recognizing that board governance can be seen in the level of public trust in a Board; and,
- Whereas: good governance holds leaders responsible;
- Therefore be it resolved that: a retraction of statements made by the TVDSB and the TVDSB Chair of the Board in regard to: Rural Education Task Force (RETF) Chair and Trustee members of the RETF; the CAO’s and Wardens of Oxford and Middlesex County and; the County Councillor members of the RETF.
- And, that an apology for the statements is granted in a public manner
Meanwhile, Elliott says next steps for the RETF remain uncertain.
“Where the Rural Education Task Force stands right now is unknown,” explains Elliott. “They have sent it back to committees with no deadline, no due date, nothing.”
She adds that the dispute has never been about seeking a public apology.
“I will extend an olive branch and continue the work,” Elliot said. “Our communities are more important than this. They are more important than an apology.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.