1. What makes you qualified to be a Trustee?
I grew up in Toronto, attended TDSB schools and my eldest of 3 is now 28, so I have decades of experience advocating for my children as they made their way through the TDSB, advocating for IEP accommodations, resources, and program supports.
Most recently, my grandson entered kindergarten, aging out of preschool speech therapy, only to be put on a multi-year TDSB waitlist for those resources. This was part of my impetus to run for Trustee – all our children deserve the educational supports they deserve and a robust public school system that gives children the resources they need to succeed
What makes me specifically qualified for this particular moment is my commitment to fighting against the $6.5 billion in funding cuts and for the return of democracy at the board.
We have seen that when the pressure or the political cost gets high enough, the province does back down.
Now is the time to build pressure in defence of public education, by uniting Trustees, education workers, parent councils, families, students, and community members.
The last time there were major attacks on schools, during the Mike Harris and Ernie Eves years, they changed course on their most regressive attacks because of this type of resistance. We can and need to build that again.
2. What is your connection to this riding?
I am connected to the southern most border of Ward 6 where it borders Parkdale-High Park and Mount Dennis where my daughter and her fiancé live.
School trustees belong to Ontario’s oldest elected body, yet today our public education system is under a direct, anti-democratic attack. The province has slashed TDSB wards from 22 to 12, installed corporate supervisors, and stripped elected officials of their governance power.
The decision to limit Trustees to only 12 is a direct attack on Toronto, the only city affected by the change, and is aimed at making it challenging for any individual TDSB Trustee to be connected to the entirety of their ward. We must meet that challenge head on.
Each amalgamated TDSB Ward represents about 200K people, a higher population than many cities in Ontario, but is now only represented by 1 Trustee. For example, each TDSB ward has a larger population than Guelph, which has 5 trustees and Burlington, which has 4.
3. What do you see as the most important role of a school trustee?
This is not a regular election. Currently, there is a two-pronged attack on public education in Ontario. One is the anti-democratic attack on school boards, including the TDSB which is currently under supervision, and the second is intentional, chronic underfunding with the aim of undermining public education.
While the role of the trustee is to listen to the community, advocate for families, students, and educators, given the current crisis, the role of the trustee must also include a commitment to fighting for fair, equitable, well-funded public education across the ward, city, and province.
Trustees at this moment must be prepared to take on the commitment to work together with families and communities across the city and across the province to demand the resources that our children deserve and a reversal of the anti-democratic attack on the school board itself.
4. What issues do you think need to be addressed most urgently?
Restore Democracy at the TDSB
- Restore local, democratically elected boards, so that education decisions are driven by parents and local communities.
- Stop the sell-off of TDSB lands and oppose school closures.
- Advance programs that promote equity, safety, and culturally-responsive solutions.
Fair Funding for Student Success
- Restore the $6.5 billion in education funding cut by the province.
- Reduce class sizes, so every student receives the attention they deserve.
- Restore critical student supports, expand special education supports, and reinstate the Model Schools program, to enable opportunities for all students.
- Clear the $4.5 billion backlog of school repairs.
Protect our Public School System
- Stop the sell-off of TDSB lands and oppose school closures.
- Fight back against the privatization of publics schools.
- Keep police out of our schools.
5. If elected, how much time are you prepared to dedicate to this position? How do you anticipate spending this time?
If the community puts their trust in me and I am elected, I will work tirelessly to fight back against this austerity on the backs of our children.
6. Is there anything else that electors should know about you before election day?
It is not too late to demand a public education system that is democratic, fully funded, and gives students and educators what they need to succeed.
This work needs to continue after election day and I’m prepared work with parents, educators, other trustees, and with everyone in our community to take the fight to Queen’s Park.