THUNDER BAY — The Lakehead District School Board has responded after the Ontario College of Teachers found its former director of education guilty of professional misconduct.
A college disciplinary panel on Wednesday assigned penalties including a four-month suspension of Ian MacRae’s teaching certificate and a written reprimand.
The panel concluded he had made inappropriate comments to dozens of school staff and trustees, offensive comments about Indigenous people, and engaged in numerous instances of bullying and unprofessional behaviour.
The behaviour occurred repeatedly between 2014 and 2022, when MacRae was the board's director of education, after serving as a teacher and administrator at the board for decades before that.
In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon on behalf of chair Ellen Chambers and vice-chair Donica LeBlanc, the board said it hoped the college's decision would bring closure to those affected by MacRae's behaviour.
The board also asserted it had taken steps to prevent similar workplace behaviour in the future.
“The board has completed a thorough external review of our policies, procedures, and training to ensure that our workplaces are safe spaces for employees and complainants,” the statement reads. “We consider this an ongoing process and as a board, we remain focused on supporting students and staff by fostering an environment that is accessible, safe, inclusive and respectful. We are hopeful that this will provide ongoing support to those staff and others who may have been impacted in these circumstances.
In the statement, Chambers and LeBlanc also apologized for MacRae’s comments about Indigenous people, which included objecting to giving a new school an Indigenous name.
“We wish to deeply and sincerely apologize to Indigenous communities for the comments that were made which have come to light in this process, which do not represent the views of Lakehead District School Board,” the board said.
