ThoroldToday asked every candidate in the upcoming school board election to explain why people should vote for them on Oct. 24. Here's what they said.
2022 School Board Trustee - English Public
Nancy Beamer
“When a constituent calls with a problem, I listen, I research the issue, I facilitate the best possible solution and then communicate back with the person,” Beamer says. “Over the last four years I have grown to understand the role of the trustee and I have shown strong leadership and common sense among decisions and discussions. With COVID, I really didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to do at the board. The work is not done and I would like to be part of a strong board that moves forward.”
Linda Borland
“I have the experience and the education to work in a team environment which is the board of education,” says Borland. “I have a lot of teaching experience in the elementary system but I also have teaching experience at Brock University. I taught every grade from one to eight and I taught science methods at Brock, and as a faculty advisor for ten years. I believe that experience is valuable and should be shared.”
Lisa Fucile
“I was an educator for 30+ years with the District School Board of Niagara,” Fucile says. “I just retired slightly after the pandemic began. I feel like I still have a lot more to give the education system. I really miss being in schools. I miss being at the table to make sound decisions for our students. I’ve always thought that education is our number one priority. I feel like I can make a huge contribution with my knowledge and I’m up to learning a lot of different things from other people and working as a team to get things done.”
Rene Nand
“We were very impacted by the pandemic,” says Nand. “I just want to work with the school boards, work with parents, work with the administration, to ensure that we got contingency plans in place — that for anymore learning disruptions, we got a good plan in place to support those. There’s a lot of gaps now in the education system. We are seeing kids go off to university who aren’t equipped. We have to get them back up to speed to ensure that they’re supported and that they have the skills that they need.”
2022 School Board Trustee - English Separate
Rhianon Burkholder
“As a Catholic trustee, my goal is to ensure that our students receive the best Catholic education possible,” Burkholder says. “The goal is for success. As a trustee I was part of the process of adopting our new strategic plan. One of the main focuses of the plan is, while remaining aligned with our Catholic values, to support our students in a respectful and inclusive way so everyone has a chance of success.”
Cameron Burton
“You’ll see on my biography absolutely everything,” says Burton. “I’m a retired veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces for thirty years. You’ll see what I have done with the Canadian Armed Forces to help the schools in Afghanistan. I am very conservative, I am Catholic. I’m here to make a difference in the school system in Canada. It’s all gone down the drain. It’s way too liberal for me.”
2022 School Board Trustee - French Separate
Melinda Chartrand
“The francophone community is a small community so we all know each other,” Chartrand says. "It’s my sixth mandate. We’re like a small family. Every year I’m very active with the school councils, I’m very present so I get to understand the parents’ concerns. That’s the important part.”
