Latest news with #GECDSB
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
GECDSB takes action against own trustees over conduct
Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) trustees have taken against two of their own. A special meeting was held Tuesday night over the alleged conduct of trustee Cathy Cooke and Nancy Armstrong. The investigation was spurred over the naming process of the now Erie Migration District School in Kingsville last spring. Rubin Thomlinson LLP was hired by the board to investigate both Cooke's and Armstrong's actions. The firm found that Cooke violated the board's trustee code of conduct during an interview she gave to media after a special board meeting related to the naming process of the school. According to the report, Cooke said, 'I am extremely disappointed, I am extremely frustrated, and I think this whole thing was a terrible mess. What they did tonight was shut everybody up. They didn't want trustees to talk. They didn't want to hear anything from anybody in the community, all they wanted to do was shove it through and that's what they did, and it was wrong.' Cooke also said 'I am disgusted at what just happened.' The firm's author stated in their report stated that in their opinion, 'Trustee Cooke's comments to the media were personal, demeaning, and disparaging of her fellow trustees, and her statements as such contravened Section 6 of the Code of Conduct.' Cooke was not present during Tuesday night's special board meeting, in which trustees agreed to accept the findings of the report, with trustees Linda Qin and Armstrong opposed. Board chair Gale Hatfield brought forward a motion to sanction Cooke through censure. 'Trustee Cooke's remarks to the media were personal, demeaning, and disparaging of her fellow trustees, and the board. Furthermore trustee Cooke failed to act in a manner that would support public confidence in the abilities and integrity of trustee Burgess and the board,' Hatfield said. The board further sanctioned Cooke by voting to invite her to participate in restorative justice sessions that would allow her to hear from trustees who were affected by her comments. Trustee Julia Burgess wanted to go one step further by barring Cooke from the first two public meetings of the new year. Hatfield disagreed with the motion stating she did not think it would serve a purpose considering Cooke's actions did not continue after the media interview. 'I thoroughly believe that the media interview was egregious,' Hatfield said. 'I was highly disturbed, insulted and upset and all the other emotions that go along with it.' Trustee Kim McKinley was in favour of barring Cooke from future meetings but the motion ultimately failed. '[Cooke] has not spoken to me, or said anything to me, and it would have made a whole lot of difference because I do tend to be an extremely forgiving person,' McKinley said. Also at issue for the board was the alleged conduct of trustee Armstrong who was being investigated for comments. Armstrong who was present for the earlier portion of the meeting got up and walked out when it came to the discussion about her conduct. Rubin Thomlinson LLP investigated Armstrong over comments she made on a podcast also surrounding the naming process of Erie Migration District School. The firm found Armstrong's comments discredited the board for its decision respecting the naming of the school, and questioning its integrity and its abilities, contrary to the trustee code of conduct. Trustees voted to censure Armstrong, invite her to participate in restorative justice sessions, and she is also barred from attending private session meetings, and voting in public on private session matters for the rest of her term. Trustees Qin and Christie Nelson were opposed. The board will now inform in writing to Cooke and Armstrong of the action taken against them and they will have 14 days to respond. ~ By Dustin Coffman, AM800 News.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Apprenticeship issues on agenda at Toronto Summit
Industry leaders in the skilled trades sector will gather in Toronto for the 2025 Ontario Apprenticeship Summit on Thursday, where they are scheduled to discuss issues CTV News Windsor has covered in depth. On the agenda, workshops promoting apprenticeships and certification, improving public perception and identifying system gaps. 'It's a way to actually jumpstart their career and test the waters,' said Jason Lepain, coordinator for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) at the Greater Essex Country District School Board (GECDSB). He is part of a new pilot program offering hands-on electrical training to high school students thanks to a partnership between the public school board and the Carpenters union. 'The big questions we get often from employers and co-op teachers is…how will this affect their journeyperson to apprentice ratio.' Under the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, to become a licenced electrician, you must complete 9,000 hours as a registered apprentice. The current ratio of journeypersons to apprentices for electricians is generally a 1:1 ratio. But the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act details OYAP students, sponsored by a business, do not count for that ratio. 'In essence, a sponsor can take on a student and also have an apprentice as well,' Lepain confirmed. 'Having said that, when a student graduates from secondary school and they become a full-fledged apprentice, it would change that ratio.' 'There is some interconnection now,' said Jeff Keyeux, a master electrician, small business owner and former teacher St. Clair College. 'I take this 16-year-old…that doesn't even know how to work for somebody. Doesn't know how to show up on time, hasn't gone to the program at the college, and yet they can be registered.' He says there are college graduates who are more invested in the industry but can't lock down an apprenticeship partly because of the ratio requirements. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development did not provide comment as of this time. More to come.
CTV News
02-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Flag raising at GECDSB celebrates Pride month
Pride flag raising ceremony at the headquarters of the GECDSB in Windsor on June 2. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) The Pride flag was raised Monday morning at the office of the Greater Essex County District School Board's (GECDSB) headquarters in Windsor. The message is clear – the school board is on the side of inclusion for residents in the community who identify as LGBTQIA2S+. Monday's ceremony and flag raising recognizes June as Pride month on the calendar. The Pride flag will fly throughout the month in recognition and support - and to draw attention to other marginalized groups in our society. For young people in schools who do identify as LGBTQIA2S+, the flag represents acknowledgement of the struggle for equality and acceptance. Wendy Nicholson is president of Windsor Essex Pride Fest and has been at the forefront of the Pride movement in the community for over 30 years. Nicholson champions efforts to make schools in the community a safe place for all, without exception. 'It's very significant just to show that the school board has everybody's back,' said Nicholson. 'They [GECDSB] are here to support not just the LGBTQIA2S+ community, but for all the marginalized kids that are in the school board. It's something very important that needs to be recognized throughout the county – Windsor-Essex.'
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New Pilot Program offers Electrical Training for High School Students
Workshop at United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. The access to learning a skilled trade for high school students is expanding in the Windsor-Essex region. A press conference was held Thursday at United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America (Local 494), Old Castle, Ontario. The Greater Essex County District School Board's (GECDSB) enhanced construction program (ECP) will include the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). 052925 - Windsor apprenticeship Press conference held at United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) This new pilot program offers hands-on electrical training for pupils in a co-op format. Grade 11 students who are accepted to the IBEW program can earn credits toward their high school diploma next year while gaining valuable experience in the electrical trades. The enhanced construction program includes trades such as general carpenter and drywall, acoustic and lathing applicator. Since the 2020-2021 school years, 148 students have enrolled in ECP and 53 have received offers of employment from the union following the completion of their co-op program. Graduates are currently progressing through their apprenticeship pathway. Angelica Landgraff is an ECP co-op student and attends Walkerville High School in Windsor. 'This trade, I feel like it applies to any skill that you could have,' said Landgraff. 'If you are more academically minded - there's a lot of math involved. If you're a more hands on, it's definitely hands on as well. And if you are more creative, you have to find creative ways to fix problems,' said Landgraff. 052925 - Windsor apprenticeship High school co-op students at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) Gavin Kritzer, a 17-year-old student, is in the IBEW co-op program and already has employment lined up once he graduates from Erie Migration District Secondary School in Kingsville, Ontario. 'I was with Tucker Electric and then ended up working there last summer and got asked to go back,' said Kritzer. 'So, I applied for the same co-op, got in again - and I've been working with them ever since. I applied for the union March of this year and ended up getting in. So, I got my employment lined up for after high school.' Prospective co-op students for trades programs in the community should apply early – space in the pilot program is limited.
CTV News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Students shine on school board's 'Day of Champions'
Student athletes take part in the GECDSB's Day of Champions event at Sandwich Secondary School in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)
