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A safe place

THUNDER BAY -- A safe and inclusive school environment was one of the top concerns raised by candidates and members of the public at the school board trustee forum Wednesday evening.
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School board trustee candidates participated in a forum at the Moose Hall Wednesday evening. (Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- A safe and inclusive school environment was one of the top concerns raised by candidates and members of the public at the school board trustee forum Wednesday evening.

About 35 people came out to listen to the candidates for all four local school boards at the Lakehead Labour Centre’s second of three forums this week at the Moose Hall.

Eight of 11 candidates for the English public board (Lakehead Public Schools) were in attendance as well as four of nine English separate board (Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board) candidates and two of four French separate board (Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique des Aurores Boreales) candidates.

In their opening statements, incumbent for the English public board Karen Wilson said a safe and inclusive environment for students is paramount and newcomers Ellen Chambers and Winona Collier both said stated bullying as a major concern.

When asked what approach they would take to the issue as trustees, Collier said she would like to see restorative programs implemented to deal with bullying.

“This holds behaviour accountable,” she said. “The two sides can get together and talk about the impact of bullying behaviours.”

Collier, a mother to four daughters, also said schools need to get tougher on bullying, but it’s important to treat on a case-by-case basis.

There shouldn’t be a cookie-cutter process, she added.

Public school incumbent Marg Arnone is seeking a second-term and said bullying does exist in schools and they are doing their best to address it, particularly the emerging issue of cyberbullying.

“The children are being taught what is correct behaviour on Facebook and various other social media sites,” she said, adding many cases of bullying stem from mental health issues and the board has developed a comprehensive mental health strategy.

Alain Lauzon, running for a trustee position with the French separate board, discussed his experience dealing with bullying when coaching hockey.

“What I found usually is taking that kid aside and having a frank discussion with them usually solves the problem,” he said.

Lauzon also thinks the board could benefit from implementing a program like the city-wide Respect campaign.

The panel was asked about how to ensure there is inclusion amongst students with families living in poverty, who may not be able to participate in field trips and activities like pizza days.

English separate board incumbent Eleanor Ashe said it’s difficult to level the field and agreed sometimes children are disadvantaged by not being able to participate in some initiatives. However, there are many support services in the city that try to help.

English public board incumbent Pat Johansen said the schools usually have funds set aside to help those students.

“When fundraisers are done, it’s not on an individual basis,” she said. “It’s for everyone.”

Another concern raised was that not many people know who their school board trustees are or what they do.

Johansen said the trustees like to visit schools often, but admitted parents don’t always realize they make significant decisions around their children’s education.

Chambers said there’s an easy fix to the solution and it starts with the board discussing how to raise their profile in the community.

English separate candidate Stephen Margarit said the Catholic board needs to revamp their website and become more active on social media.

“It’s another way to connect with parents and students,” he said.

For Lauzon, it’s also important to raise the profile of the French-Catholic board in Thunder Bay.

“I feel as though if we want to see some growth in the French Catholic board, us as trustees have to grow the school board’s presence in the community,” he said, noting not many people know they exist or what their purpose is.

The Lakehead Public Schools trustee candidates at the forum were: Marg Arnone, Ellen Chambers, Winona Collier, Pat Johansen, Gary Leach, Jack Playford, George Saarinen and Karen Wilson.

In attendance for the TBCDSB were Eleanor Ashe, Michael Benninger, Stephen Margarit and Kathy O’Brien.

Alain Lauzon was joined by Donald Pelletier running for the French separate board.

A full list of candidates can be found at www.tbayvotes.com.

The Lakehead Labour Centre's forums conclude Thursday evening with the ward candidates. 





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