CUPE Local 5555
Statement
As President of Cupe local 5555 (support workers of Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board) I am appalled and saddened by the content of Mr. Gilchrist’s letter.
It is inexcusable for Mr. Gilchrist or anyone for that matter to write such racist views. KPR is a school board which prides themselves on “equity, diversity, inclusiveness and the dignity and humanity of each individual in its policies, practices programs and interactions” and this letter is a blow to the board’s reputation.
I am asking for Mr. Gilchrist to be accountable for his actions and hand in his resignation immediately.
Sincerely,
Ron Maguire, President, CUPE local 5555
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Elementary Teachers' Federation of
To: Stewards All ETFO members
From: Dave Wing
Re: Gordon Gilchrist
The following media release was sent out by the Board following their meeting last night (Thursday February 28, 2008):
At tonight's Board meeting, Trustee Gordon Gilchrist was censured by the Board for conduct "unbecoming of a trustee," as a result of public comments he has made regarding federal immigration policies.
"We would like to re-affirm to students, parents, staff and all our community partners the unassailable value we ascribe to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusiveness and the dignity and humanity of each individual. This core belief is the bedrock of our organization's policies, practices, programs and interactions," says Diane Lloyd, Chairperson of the Board. "We have publicly, and through our actions this evening, emphatically expressed our concern and dismay over Mr. Gilchrist's correspondence. We have also strongly indicated that the sentiments he has expressed are not reflective of all that we hold dear as a school Board."
The act of censure can be defined as:
i) an expression of strong disapproval or criticism,
ii) an official rebuke, as by a legislature of one of its members Law Dictionary, 5th Edition, Steven H. Gifis
Trustee Gilchrist has also resigned from his position on the Board's Expulsion Committee.
To the Board's credit, they have done all they can to Mr. Gilchrist at this time. In fact, one of the Trustees urged Mr. Gilchrist to resign during the meeting, but he refused to do so. I readily agree that Mr. Gilchrist's sentiments are in no way reflective of the Board.
The Local ETFO remains firm in its position that Mr. Gilchrist can in no way represent the best interests of all members of the public given his views on immigration and immigrants themselves. His involvement in any level of decision making is inappropriate. His sentiments have no place in a public school board and as such he no longer represents the Board's principles of "equity, diversity, inclusiveness and the dignity and humanity of each individual."
Simply put, Mr. Gilchrist must resign.
We have been advised that there are no legal mechanisms available to us to force Mr. Gilchrist's removal. Given how blatantly his published views are not in line with the core values of any publicly funded board, one has to wonder why Mr. Gilchrist wishes to continue in his role. The Local currently has representatives on the Board's joint Equity and Diversity Committee. Given Mr. Gilchrist's position of authority within the governing level of the Board, we will be reviewing our participation on this committee at our next Executive meeting in March.
Sincerely,
Dave Wing, President, ETFO
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February 25, 2008
Diane Lloyd,
Chairperson Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB,
K9J 6X6
Dear Diane:
As president of District 14 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation which represents the over one thousand secondary school teachers employed by the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, I feel compelled to respond to trustee Gilchrist’s letter entitled “Turn off the immigration tap before its too late”. Mr. Gilchrist is entitled to his opinions, and as a Canadian he is truly fortunate to be able to voice his opinions publicly, without fear of arbitrary actions being taken against him. At issue for me and the OSSTF members I represent is a serious concern that Mr. Gilchrist’s views regarding immigrants and Canada’s immigration policy may have a negative impact on decisions he is charged with making, that may harm the education of the over 35 000 students that attend KPR schools.
The Bylaws of OSSTF state that “A member shall recognize and respect the diversity of students and colleagues, and the goal of anti-racist education”. Mr. Gilchrist is not an OSSTF member, and as such he is not bound to comply with our bylaws but I would hope that anyone involved in education would promote the ideal stated in the above bylaw.
In order for OSSTF to
further its lead role in shaping and promoting a tolerant and inclusive public
education system that is second to none OSSTF will be organizing and hosting a
major conference in
“ Stronger Together ... Diversity in Education / Tous ensemble ... La diversité en éducation”. The conference will present on topics such as:
·
educating students about
anti-racism, anti-homophobia, sexism, violence
and other forms of
injustice
·
accepting and integrating
educational workers of diverse cultures, religions and languages, showing
tolerance of individual personal backgrounds
·
working and communicating with
parents of diverse individual, religious, linguistic and cultural
backgrounds
·
inclusive
education
·
aboriginal
education
I am certain there are conferences offered by other organizations that support themes similar to those that will be highlighted at the OSSTF conference. I recommend that Mr. Gilchrist seek out and attend a conference that has as its focus diversity and inclusiveness in public education. I am confident his attendance at such a conference would result in his acquiring a deeper awareness and a greater respect for the positive influence that diverse cultures have made on Canadian society.
Yours sincerely,
Marc Silnicki,
President, OSSTF District 14
cc Cathy Abraham
Steven Cooke
Brian Cowie
Cyndi Dickson
Gordon Gilchrist
Rose Kitney
Angela Lloyd
Brad Mills
Verna Shackleton
Roy Wilfong
Sylvia Terpstra,
Director
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March 24, 2008
Diane Lloyd,
Chairperson Kawartha Pine Ridge DSB,
1994 Fisher Drive,
Peterborough, ON
K9J 6X6
Dear Ms. Lloyd,
The Asian Canadian Labour Alliance strongly condemns the racist and derogatory comments recently made by school trustee Gordon Gilchrist. His comments represent a significant low in race relations not only for residents of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School lake community but for communities across the Province of Ontario. Due to the racist nature of his comments ACLA believes that an appropriate remedy for his actions is for the Board to ask for his immediate resignation.
Mr. Gilchrist’s comments continue a long tradition of racist and anti-immigrant sentiments that have been exhibited by elected officials across this province. Whether it’s the cuts to adult ESL programs, threats to terminate the sole elementary school with dedicated ESL programs for recent immigrants, and constant threats to funding programs for new immigrants, his comments when examined in conjunction with these actions creates a climate where significant members of our community feel excluded and unwelcomed. If this school board is interested in proving otherwise then it would take the first steps to show its commitment to racialized communities and immigrants by demanding his resignation.
Furthermore we believe that his continued presence and participation on this school board represents a significant violation of the Ontario Human Rights code and your own equity and diversity policy. In consultation with the local community, ACLA may be interested in pursuing further action at the OHRC level.
Finally Anti-Oppression training seems to be in order for members of both your staff and your elected officials. To remedy this situation, ACLA can provide ample support with resources and resource people to assist your efforts if you choose to accept this offer.
We trust that the School Board will handle this matter with the utmost integrity and transparency that is owed to its constituency and the boarder community. Please feel free to contact me should you wish to discuss this letter further. You can reach me at 416-978-7594.
Sincerely,
Chris Ramsaroop
Vice President
Asian Canadian Labour Alliance