Kitchener MPP demands accountability for Catholic board following controversial meeting
Posted Apr 30, 2025 07:32:50 AM.
Last Updated Apr 30, 2025 11:01:50 AM.
A Kitchener politician has accused the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) of wasting taxpayer dollars on silencing trustees following a controversial meeting on Monday.
Kitchener-Centre MPP Aislinn Clancy took to Queen’s Park on Tuesday to challenge the Minister of Education, Paul Calandra, to investigate the school board.
“A recent (Freedom of Information) request shows that the board has spent over $200,000 in the past two years to silence opposing trustees,” said Clancy.
On Monday, the Catholic school board voted 5-4 in favour of striking down a motion from Trustee Conrad Stanley that looked to ban political symbols, most controversially the Pride flag, at local Catholic schools.
Clancy, who worked for the WCDSB as a social worker, alleges that the actions and behaviours of trustees go far outside their roles, and that some trustees are backed by Campaign Life Coalition, a political lobbyist organization that advocates for socially conservative values.
“They pursue a code of conduct charge to keep elected trustees from voting, speaking, and attending meetings for months,” said Clancy.
The board has been shuffled in recent weeks. A new chair, Renee Kraft, was appointed earlier this month after former chair Robert Sikora stepped down into a trustee position. The same goes for the former Vice-Chair Linda Cuff, who was replaced by appointment by Tracey Weiler on Monday.
“The majority has ruled for a while now that others should be silenced,” said Patrick Etmanski, president of the Waterloo Region chapter of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association. “We’ve had trustees who were bullied out of being a trustee. That’s happened a few times. That’s how Conrad Stanley became a trustee.”
The WCDSB board approved a motion that will look to make their decision-making process more accessible for parents and transparent for the public on Monday.
Starting in September, WCDSB board meetings will be live-streamed online for public viewing. Staff said they were prepared to begin live streaming meetings immediately, however, the board decided to hold off until September to discern costs and potential troubleshooting issues.
Last night trustees voted on whether to ban the Pride flag from Waterloo district Catholic schools.
— Aislinn Clancy (@AislinnClancyKC) April 30, 2025
Thankfully the motion was defeated.
I challenged the Minister of Education to commit to getting this American-style of politics out of our school boards. pic.twitter.com/fJUxGXWVDp
