THUNDER BAY — Former Lakehead District School Board education director Ian MacRae is facing an Ontario College of Teachers hearing into alleged misconduct.
The hearing centres around dozens of alleged instances of inappropriate and unwelcome comments, inappropriate comments about Indigenous people, unprofessional conduct, and one instance of alleged inappropriate physical contact.
The allegations, detailed in a notice of hearing posted by the college, are based on reports of MacRae’s interactions with 21 employees of the school board or the board of trustees.
A number of the allegations relate to comments he made to staff and trustees, allegedly referring to various individuals in seemingly derogatory ways including “chicken man,” “wannabe beauty queen,” “stupid,” “back-stabbing two faced lemming,” “sorceress,” “Nurse Ratched,” and “garden gnome.”
Other alleged comments include calling a staff person a “liar,” using a derogatory play on one trustee’s name, and commenting on one person’s physical appearance by stating they were “allergic to vegetables” and “that would be a lot of sunscreen,” when the person was about to vacation to Mexico.
MacRae did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday afternoon.
He retired earlier this year after a lengthy career with the board that culminated in his appointment as director of education in 2014. He had also filed to run as a trustee in the school board elections that are now underway, but was disqualified because his status as a board employee at the time of filing made him ineligible.
The date for the hearing in which he will have an opportunity to respond to the teachers' college charges has not yet been set.
The matter was referred to the college’s disciplinary committee on June 21 after being reviewed by its investigation committee.
His conduct “would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional,” the college charges.
In a statement provided by the school board, board of trustees chair Ellen Chambers said she was aware of the disciplinary hearing but was unable to comment, “as it qualifies as a personnel matter.”
In the spring of 2019, MacRae is alleged to have told a candidate for a superintendent position with the board that “the job is yours and you will get it based on looks alone,” or words to that effect.
The notice also outlines two instances in the summer of 2016 in which MacRae allegedly made inappropriate comments about Indigenous people.
“When we used to have meetings, we put a jar in the middle of the table and you had to put 5 bucks in whenever you said something negative about natives,” he allegedly said in one instance. “I always put 20 bucks in at the beginning of the meeting. I had a lot to say.”
Discussing the selection of a name for a new school, he allegedly said “it would have an Indian name over my dead body,” or words to that effect.
MacRae is also alleged to have engaged in unprofessional conduct over the course of years, ranging from falling asleep repeatedly at meetings to physically throwing blinds out of his office when they were being installed in 2018.
He’s also alleged to have pressured staff while completing a performance evaluation of his position, insisting in some cases they be filled out in front of him.
Similarly, he’s alleged to have warned potential witnesses in 2019 during a “harassment investigation into his conduct” against providing information.
The notice also includes one allegation of inappropriate physical contact.
“In or about June 2016, the Member had inappropriate physical contact with Person 18 in front of their colleagues, including, but not limited to rubbing Person 18’s arm while telling her that she was ‘special’ to him, or actions and words to that effect,” the notice states.
If found guilty by the Ontario College of Teachers' discipline committee, MacRae could face penalties including revocation of his college certificate, a reprimand, and a fine up to $5,000.
