I endorse Jerako Biaje for Toronto School Board Trustee in Ward 5, York Centre

Jerako Biaje

As I noted in an earlier post (here), the Toronto District School Board has a well-deserved reputation as the most dysfunctional school board in Canada. We need to vote out the incumbents who have made such a mess of things.

In School Board Ward 5 (York Centre), I endorse Jerako Biaje. Of all the candidates running to replace our current incompetent Trustee, she looks like far the best.

Here’s where Jerako stands on the issues:

Hi Brian,

Re. Consolidating Half Empty Schools and Closing the Emptiest Schools:
I am willing to consolidate half-empty schools and close the emptiest ones. I would hope that the parents and residents in Ward 5 share that view. However, my job will be to represent you/Ward 5. As a side note: I hold a strong position against selling TDSB owned property.

Re. Curriculum:
Yes, I have already turned a skeptical eye on social justice classes as well as working to get the politics out of schools. I have grave concerns regarding the curriculum. Prior to leaving the Board's Parent Involvement Advisory Committee, we were gaining momentum on our Curriculum Committee on this issue. Working to get politics out of our schools is a must!

Re. Budget:
I am going to be the Board’s nightmare regarding the budget. The budget will be held up like a mirror – I am a vigilante. I know who the main perpetrators are regarding the people who have completely disregarded and disrespected their fiscal responsibility. Hold me accountable, too.

My job will be to represent you and the rest of Ward 5. I will bring the items from the Board back to parents and residents for their vote (by way of Ward council meeting/email/newsletter). If for some reason we do not share the same position I will represent your position, that is my job.

I hope these answers have been helpful.

Thank you,
Jerako

Visit her Jerako’s Facebook page here and her Twitter page here.

I support Richard Klagsbrun for school trustee in Ward 10, Trinity-spadina

Richard Klagsbrun

The Toronto School Board has a well-deserved reputation as the most dysfunctional school board in Canada.

The Board faces a huge crisis of declining enrollment and empty schools – which it does nothing about.

While unable to provide decent facilities for our kids, the Board wastes huge sums of money. For a glimpse of how awful financial controls are at the Board, start here.

And while it’s utterly incompetent when it comes to the basics, the Board spends time promoting far left politics and sees no problem with indoctrinating our kids. {For more on this, see here, here, here … for starters.}

With elections for School Board Trustees coming up in a couple weeks, we have a chance to do something about this dismal state of affairs. In Ward 10, Richard Klagsbrun is running for school trustee on a campaign of better financial management and less political indoctrination.

Moreover, as the man behind the well-known blog, Eye on a Crazy Planet, Richard has the track record to prove his long-standing interest in the issues. He has my support. Check out Richard's campaign website here.

Ausma Malik speaking at antisemitic al-Quds Day Rally in Toronto,
with yellow flag of Hezbollah terrorist group in background

What’s more, Richard’s main opponent in the election is Ausma Malik a woman best known for her sympathy for terrorists. No I’m not kidding. Read more here.

Unfortunately, Malik is a strong contender. The unions believe they’ll always have her vote so they’re supporting her (see here) and she’s received endorsements from the downtown NDP establishment, including mayoral candidate Olivia Chow. I trust Chow simply didn’t bother to check Ausuma’s background before endorsing her, but now that it’s come out, I can’t help noticing that Chow is sticking by her support for this terrorist sympathizer.

Ah well, after starting as the front runner, Chow is now in third place, well behind Doug Ford in the polls and so far behind John Tory that media should start classifying her as one of the many fringe candidates. Indeed, now that she's supporting Malik, maybe Chow will actually end up with a vote count that has to be tallied with negative numbers.

Olivia Chow and other candidates for Toronto City Council and for the Toronto School Board are fully owned by unions

John Tory ~ in favour of saving another $11 million per year for Toronto citizens, even if it upsets the unions

The problem with Olivia Chow is that she’s against hiring out garbage collection to the private sector. More exactly the problem is the reason she’s against it.

As it stands, a private company collects the garbage on the west side of the city, while on the east side, city workers still collect the garbage. Giving the work to a private company on the west side is saving the city $11 million dollars a year. What’s more, service isn’t merely as good; it’s better.

Naturally (almost) everyone running for mayor wants to extend private garbage collection to the east side, too. John Tory and Doug Ford both consider the question a no-brainer. As far as I can tell so does every other mayoral candidate – except Olivia Chow.

Chow says she wants to encourage diversity in our garbage collection (whatever that means). Everyone knows it’s really because the city garbage collectors are unionized. And when it comes down to it, Chow sides with the unions – even if it’s against the interests of the people of Toronto.

I have nothing against unions. I’m a union member myself. But I want my mayor, my city councillors and my school board representatives to be on my side. I want them looking out for my tax dollars and making sure the city gets the best deal possible.

Unfortunately, Olivia Chow is not on my side. And I understand why. She believes in unions, and in return, the unions believe in her. What’s more, the unions show their support with money and manpower – and lots of it.

The unions have helped Chow immensely in every political battle she’s ever fought.

Chow isn’t the only would-be member of city council who sides with the unions more than with the people of Toronto. The Toronto and York Region Labour Council has provided a convenient list of would-be Toronto councillors and would-be school board representatives who they can rely on to always vote in favour of union positions and, if necessary, to vote against the interests of the people of Toronto.

If you want the city and the school board to pay millions more than necessary for worse work, then vote for the following candidates…

Union endorsed candidates for City Councillor:

Ward 1 (Etobicoke North): Idil Burale

Ward 2 (Etobicoke North):Andray Domise

Ward 6 (Etobicoke Lakeshore): Russ Ford

Ward 7 (York West): Keegan Henry-Mathieu

Ward 8 (York West): Anthony Perruzza

Ward 9 (York West): Maria Augimeri

Ward 12 (York South Weston): Lekan Olawoye

Ward 13 (Parkdale High Park): Sarah Doucette

Ward 14 (Parkdale High Park): Gord Perks

Ward 17 (Davenport): Alejandra Bravo

Ward 18 (Davenport): Ana Bailão

Ward 19 (Trinity Spadina):  Mike Layton

Ward 20 (Trinity Spadina): Joe Cressy

Ward 21 (St. Paul’s): Joe Mihevc

Ward 24 (Willowdale): Dan Fox

Ward 26 (Don Valley West): David Sparrow

Ward 27 (Toronto Centre Rosedale):  Kristyn Wong-Tam

Ward 28 (Toronto Centre Rosedale): Pam McConnell

Ward 29 (Toronto Daforth): Mary Fragedakis

Union endorsed candidates for the Toronto District School Board:

Ward 5 – York Centre: Howard Kaplan

Ward 7 – Parkdale High Park: Robin Pilkey

Ward 8 – Eglinton Lawrence: Jennifer Arp

Ward 10 Trinity Spadina: Ausma Malik

Ward 14 Toronto Centre Rosedale: Chris Moise

Ward 17 Don Valley East: Robert Cerjanec

Ward 18 Scarborough Southwest: Parthi Kandavel

Ward 20 Scarborough Agincourt: Manna Wong

Ward 21 Scarborough Rouge River: Shaun Chen

Ward 4 North York: Marina Laccona

Ward 5 North York: Maria Rizzo

Ward 12 Scarborough: Paulina Corpuz

Town of Georgina Ward 3: Dave Neeson