Waterloo Region District School Board (English Public) - Kitchener
School Board Trustees set policies for their school board, provide
oversight of the board’s Director of Education, and serve as community
advocates for education.
There are four school boards in Waterloo Region. You will vote for
trustees in one board. Learn more on the School Trustee
information page.
(Elect 4; vote for
up to 4)
All Candidate Meeting Recordings
All-candidates meetings are the best and quickest way to choose candidates (really!).
They allow you to evaluate candidates side by side, responding to
the same questions.
If you don’t have time to watch an entire recording, watch 2-3 rounds
of questions in the middle of the meeting. This will take 10-15
minutes.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Who attended the meeting? Who did not?
- Which candidates answered the questions directly? Which ones avoided
the question(s) or pivoted to talking points?
Questionnaires
Questionnaires allow you to compare candidate responses side by side.
Ask yourself whether you agree with the candidate positions, and
whether the candidates demonstrate good understanding of the
underlying issues.
Endorsements from Organizations
Some advocacy groups release endorsements of particular candidates.
Look at the advocacy group’s positions and philosophies, and see
whether they align with your own.
Questions to ask yourself:
- What political outcomes does this group advocate for? Do you agree
with their goals?
- On what basis did this group make their endorsement? Did they gather
statements from the candidates?
- How transparent was their selection process?
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Campaign for Life Coalition Endorsements,
Campaign for Life Coalition,
October 1, 2022.
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Know Your WRDSB Trustees website/candidate classification,
Know your Waterloo Region school board trustees,
September 23, 2022.
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Here are just a few of the candidates that we support.,
ReallocateWR,
September 22, 2022.
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Kitchener Endorsements,
Know your Waterloo Region school board trustees,
September 13, 2022.
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Waterloo Region Endorsements,
Waterloo Regional Labour Council,
September 6, 2022.
Articles and News Items
Articles can highlight issues of importance to the election and the electorate.
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Public school board election results are in, and current chair is ready for productive ‘disagreements’,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 24, 2022.
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Waterloo Region District School Board chair Scott Piatkowski among re-elected trustees,
CBC,
October 24, 2022.
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Longtime school board trustee resigns ahead of election, calls out political division on Waterloo Region board,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 20, 2022.
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Local campaigns under investigation for violating Elections Act,
Cambridge Today,
October 20, 2022.
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'The latest battleground in culture wars': School board trustee vote taking a political tone,
CTV Kitchener,
October 19, 2022.
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Website grouping school board trustee beliefs by political stances under investigation,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 17, 2022.
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Politics front and centre in contentious school board election,
Cambridge Today,
October 17, 2022.
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‘The Waterloo public board is really at the centre of the current culture war in Canadian education systems’,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 15, 2022.
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Do your homework on who's running for school board trustees, say researchers and candidates,
CBC,
October 15, 2022.
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Complaint suggests website seeking to sway local trustee race,
CityNews,
October 14, 2022.
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Why a Waterloo, Ont., school board has emerged as a battleground for ideological politics,
The Globe and Mail,
October 14, 2022.
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WRDSB 'weaponizing' code of conduct to quiet criticism: Trustee,
CTV Kitchener,
October 4, 2022.
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2SLGBTQ+ month a time for celebration and action in Cambridge,
Cambridge Today,
October 3, 2022.
Opinions and Group Discussions
Opinions, blog posts and discussions can be biased but useful.
Sometimes people closely
aligned with particular candidates write opinions without disclosing
their relationships to the candidate.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Can you identify where the writer(s) are coming from? Do you agree
with their positions?
- Do the posters offer evidence for their opinions? Is that evidence
credible? Is it proportionate, or blown out of proportion?
-
WRDSB,
Reddit,
October 25, 2022.
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WRDSB candidates,
Reddit,
October 24, 2022.
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The far-right is trying to stack school boards. Vote for schools that are safe for all kids (/r/kitchener),
Reddit,
October 13, 2022.
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The far-right is trying to stack school boards. Vote for schools that are safe for all kids (/r/waterloo),
Reddit,
October 13, 2022.
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WRDS Trustees summary - those that support "parental values" are in green (ie, banning LGBT books, fighting against imaginary CRT in elementary school); those that support acknowledging LGBT people exist in yellow. Please vote,
Reddit,
October 11, 2022.
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Election Day is Near!,
Citified,
October 7, 2022.
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If you're voting in the election, you should know why many School Board candidates are campaigning about "age-appropriate" content in schools (and what they mean by that),
Reddit,
September 16, 2022.
Individual Candidate Coverage
These posts cover specific candidates in depth. Sometimes the
candidates are asked specific questions and sometime they are allowed
to talk about whatever interests them. These profiles can offer more
in-depth coverage than you might get from a candidate’s website.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Jeff Musgrave, Waterloo Region District School Board candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 18, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Joanne Weston, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 8, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Meena Waseem, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Laurie Tremble, Waterloo Region District School Board candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Tara Ross, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Natasha Rolleman, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Mike Ramsay, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Maedith Radlein, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Christina Meekison, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: David Kuhn, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Julia Dunham, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Claus Dérisma, Waterloo Region District School Board trustee candidate,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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KITCHENER VOTES: Barb Chrysler, Waterloo Region District School Board candidate ,
Waterloo Region Record,
October 7, 2022.
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Ahmed Kassad - Speaking Moistly - School Board Trustee Series,
CanadaPoli,
September 28, 2022.