Last night I voted against passing 17 pages of policy without any public debate and/or stakeholder input. I did this because a) I hold only one seat the VSB and as a Trustee part of my responsibility is to ensure representation of, and accountability to, the public.

b) in a thriving democracy we find ways to open up spaces of decision making. This is not that. We must find ways to increase the participation of children, youth, educators, caregivers, and the general public, not shut them out.

c) the motions brought last night reduce the participation of the public in many ways. This is not democracy and I can't support it.

d)I have brought countless motions that have either not seen the light of day or been deferred/postponed that reflect issues of huge importance in our District. My motion on anti-racism training, a motion supported by multiple stakeholders, will take over a year to implement.

Removing the racist Cecil Rhodes plaque took weeks. Affirming UNDRIP took months. Including First Nations in land use decisions took months. My motion to review Ministry guidelines before undertaking long range facilities planning was ruled out of order.

e) Reducing the number of minutes for community delegations (the actual public) to participate in the process (speak at meetings) took 1/2 hour.

f) This is your Vancouver School Board.