TDSB Trustee Committee Proposes Mandatory DEI Certification for Ontario Educators

January 19, 2025 TruthUSA

A committee of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has supported a motion to request the province to establish diversity, equity, and anti-racism certification for all teachers in Ontario. The motion will now be presented to trustees at the upcoming board meeting on Jan. 22 for approval.

At a meeting of the Program and School Services Committee on Jan. 16, trustees Deborah Williams and Debbie King, on behalf of student trustee Angelika Bell, introduced the motion.

It was mentioned in the motion that mandatory certification for all K-12 teachers in the province would help teachers better support racialized students and educators.

“Continuous professional development on equity and diversity will ensure that teachers have the latest best practices to promote an inclusive classroom,” the motion added.

It was highlighted that in January 2022, the minister of education mandated certification for Ontario-certified teachers to receive training in sexual abuse prevention.

The motion pointed out that the lack of training in diversity, equity, and anti-racism creates a gap in achieving the TDSB’s equality policy, which aims to provide an inclusive and equitable education environment for students and educators.

If approved by all trustees, the board chair will be obligated to send a letter to the ministry of education and the Ontario College of Teachers, advocating for the implementation of mandatory certification.

TDSB’s efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) faced criticism after a principal tragically took his own life in 2023 during legal proceedings related to interactions he had with an instructor during diversity training sessions in 2021.

During one session, Richard Bilkszto had disagreements with the trainer’s accusations of racism in Canada’s education system. At one point, the instructor told Bilkszto, “you and your whiteness think that you can tell me what’s really going on for black people,” and added, “Your job in this work as white people is to believe.”

As the TDSB’s executive superintendent of education defended the instructor on social media, Bilkszto’s lawyer claimed he had been defamed and experienced “harassment and bullying.”

Bilkszto eventually won a harassment complaint from Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, stating that the trainer had been abusive. He later sued the board in 2023 for various reasons, including failing to investigate his initial complaint and defamation. Tragically, he passed away by suicide three months after filing the lawsuit. His lawyer suggested that the ordeal from the training sessions contributed to his suicide.

Matthew Horwood contributed to this article.

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