OCDSB trustees vote to sanction fellow trustee after antisemitism complaint

An advisory council is discussing stopping the playing of the national anthem at OCDSB schools (Colton Praill/CTV News Ottawa)

Trustees at Ottawa's largest school board have voted to censure a fellow trustee for antisemitic comments made during the debate over attending the Capital Pride Parade.

This follows an integrity commissioner's report into a complaint against Trustee Donna Blackburn.

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The report by integrity commissioner Suzanne Craig concerns several comments Blackburn made during the controversy surrounding Capital Pride's decision to issue a statement of solidarity with Palestinians this summer. The statement caused many people and organizations, including the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), to withdraw their official participation in the annual Capital Pride Parade. Blackburn opposed withdrawing from the parade, citing her own advocacy for LGBTQ2S+ issues, stating in a reply to the complaint, "I was the person responsible for ensuring that the OCDSB started participating in the Pride Parade in 2011."

At issue Tuesday night was a particular text message Blackburn made to an unidentified member of the community, which, according to report, said the following:

"I have no desire to connect…. it is clear to me that my struggles matter not…..the fact I live in daily fear matters not….what matters is the power of the Jewish community…. as it always does…I look forward to the day u understand that!!!!"

The report included other comments Blackburn had made, including a statement to fellow trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth, "Your cries of antisemitism are getting really tiredand I know who I am and what I stand for. While I don’t always agree with my colleagues on various matters, I don’t believe for one second any of them are antisemitic." 

In the integrity commissioner's report, Blackburn denied that her comment about the "power of the Jewish community" was an antisemitic trope and said, "rather I was referring to how the Jewish community lobbied with success and strength, to silence the voice of the LGBTQ2plus community to march for their rights." She also wrote that she apologized to Kaplan-Myrth about the comment about "cries of antisemitism", an apology Kaplan-Myrth accepted.

Craig found that Blackburn did not breach Rule 3.7 of the code of conduct, which compels trustees to treat everyone without discrimination. She did find that Blackburn breached Rule 3.18, which states that board members should resolve issues in a "respectful and professional manner." Craig, however, recommended that no sanctions be applied, saying Blackburn made an error in judgment in good faith.

Trustees, however, disagreed with Craig's finding. Trustee Lyra Evans moved a motion, seconded by Trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth, to declare that Blackburn had violated four sections of the trustees' code of conduct, governing acting in a matter that inspires public confidence, not discrediting the integrity of the board, treating all persons equally without discrimination and avoiding disparaging or demeaning comments.

"There is a presentation of fact where the respondent says something about the power of the Jewish community in relation to other communities. This is a well-known antisemitic trope," said Evans. "I am of the position that a trustee who has spouted an antisemitic trope has violated … our code of conduct."

While Craig had suggested no sanctions be applied, another motion moved by Evans and seconded by Kaplan-Myrth suggested Blackburn be formally censured, be required to attend mandatory antisemitism training, and be barred from committee meetings for six months or until she completes the aforementioned training. Trustees voted 8-3 to censure Blackburn and voted unanimously to require her to attend the antisemitism training, but the motion to bar her from committees was defeated with only four trustees — Evans, Kaplan-Myrth, Justine Bell, and Cathryne Milburn — voting in favour.

Blackburn was not permitted to vote on any of the motions concerning her own conduct.

'Disappointed we find ourselves here again'

Some trustees expressed disappointment Tuesday night that board business was again disrupted by a code of conduct complaint.

"To say that I am disappointed that we are in the midst and discussing another code of conduct investigation would be an understatement," Trustee Cathryne Milburn said when speaking to the motion to determine whether Blackburn breached the code.

"We as trustees approved and signed this new code of conduct and have discussed and amended it numerous times in our term, we agreed to do better we agreed to show each other and our community respect … yet here we are again."

Trustee Nili Kaplan-Myrth faced two code of conduct complaints this term — being found in violation of the code in one case and not in violation in the other — which attracted significant attention to the board, including from Ontario's education minister.

Blackburn has also been found in breach of the code before, once for a confrontation she had with a Black youth in 2020 and a second time for a disrespectful email sent to another board member in 2018. 

Trustee Justine Bell echoed Milburn's comments Tuesday.

"I'm really disappointed that we find ourselves here again tonight," she said. "I think there are many communities with which have been continually hurt by actions around this table and I think that we as trustees can do a lot better."

Speaking to CTV News Ottawa after the meeting, Kaplan-Myrth said she was relieved that the board acknowledged Blackburn's comments were antisemitic.

"I thank the trustees, and I thank the board for coming to the conclusion that she should be sanctioned," she said. "And I agree wholeheartedly with the restorative justice approach of antisemitism training. What I really, really hope is I never have to stand up against antisemitism again."

Blackburn declined to offer comment Tuesday night.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Shaun Vardon