Why eight OCDSB trustee candidates are running individual campaigns under shared values

Emily Quaile, front, who's running in Zone 4, and other candidates for Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee positions have announced a shared statement of principles for the future of public education in Ottawa. Photo by Jean Levac /Postmedia

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Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee candidates are fully aware the role will be more of “a job without a job description” with the Ontario government having placed the school board under supervision more than a year ago.

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And, while it may be easy to assume the lack of trustee power under provincial oversight would deter people from running for OCDSB trustee positions in the upcoming municipal election, it’s actually been the opposite, with 33 candidates running across 12 contested zones.

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It’s also helped inspire eight trustee candidates running in different zones to unite under a shared statement of principles for the future of public education in Ottawa.

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While continuing to run individual campaigns, these candidates have joined together for restoring local democratic governance and the decision-making ability of trustees, calling for the end of provincial supervision and advocating for proper funding.

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“It honestly came down to democracy, transparency, accessibility … and diversity,” said Cathy Varrette, who first launched the shared statement of principles and is a Zone 12 trustee candidate.

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For Varrette, concerns around local democracy ignited when Ottawa’s largest school board was placed under provincial supervision in June 2025 to address provincial concerns of financial “mismanagement,” consequently stripping trustees of their traditional authority.

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Education Minister Paul Calandra told reporters in April that provincial supervision would continue “for as long as it takes to put them on track, full stop.”

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And, even if supervision ends, Calandra has laid out changes under the Putting Student Achievement First Act that would include limiting trustees’ financial responsibilities and removing their role in central bargaining.

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Given the trustee position may not hold the official authority it did in the last municipal election, the eight candidates say there’s an appeal to teaming up in what’s usually an individual campaign.

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“The value itself, as a standalone candidate, is almost meaningless. You have no power, you have no say-so,” Varrette said. “But, if you have a whole committee of folks that are committed to working together and working for progress and wanting to put students first, there is a way.”

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Other candidates signed on to the shared statement of principles expressed a similar mindset.

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“Having a group of people working towards something is a lot better than me standing alone,” said Natasha Lynn Mott, a trustee candidate in Zone 5. “That way, if I’m elected, I’ll already know people at the table and will already have some connection, and it’s easier to get things done.”