Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee candidates are fully aware the role will be more of “a job without a job description” with the Ontario government having placed the school board under supervision more than a year ago.
And, while it may be easy to assume the lack of trustee power under provincial oversight would deter people from running for OCDSB trustee positions in the upcoming municipal election, it’s actually been the opposite, with 33 candidates running across 12 contested zones.
It’s also helped inspire eight trustee candidates running in different zones to unite under a shared statement of principles for the future of public education in Ottawa.
While continuing to run individual campaigns, these candidates have joined together for restoring local democratic governance and the decision-making ability of trustees, calling for the end of provincial supervision and advocating for proper funding.
“It honestly came down to democracy, transparency, accessibility … and diversity,” said Cathy Varrette , who first launched the shared statement of principles and is a Zone 12 trustee candidate.
For Varrette, concerns around local democracy ignited when Ottawa’s largest school board was placed under provincial supervision in June 2025 to address provincial concerns of financial “mismanagement,” consequently stripping trustees of their traditional authority.
Education Minister Paul Calandra told reporters in April that provincial supervision would continue “for as long as it takes to put them on track, full stop.”
As of this year, the OCDSB continues to operate in a deficit position , with provincial supervisor Bob Plamondon approving a 2026-27 budget that projects a $3.5-million shortfall .
And, even if supervision ends, Calandra has laid out changes under the Putting Student Achievement First Act that would include limiting trustees’ financial responsibilities and removing their role in central bargaining.
Given the trustee position may not hold the official authority it did in the last municipal election, the eight candidates say there’s an appeal to teaming up in what’s usually an individual campaign.
“The value itself, as a standalone candidate, is almost meaningless. You have no power, you have no say-so,” Varrette said. “But, if you have a whole committee of folks that are committed to working together and working for progress and wanting to put students first, there is a way.”
Other candidates signed on to the shared statement of principles expressed a similar mindset.
“Having a group of people working towards something is a lot better than me standing alone,” said Natasha Lynn Mott, a trustee candidate in Zone 5. “That way, if I’m elected, I’ll already know people at the table and will already have some connection, and it’s easier to get things done.”
Other candidates say the trustee role now carries a new responsibility to reclaim the power and sense of democracy lost to provincial supervision. Without community voices as trustees, candidates say they fear provincial supervision will continue to expand.
“That’s why I do this — so that my kids can say that their mom was on the right side of history,” Zone 4 candidate Emily Quaile said.
“It’s important that our voices are heard, and part of the reason I’m running is to try and get some of that power back,” added Keelin Pringnitz, a Zone 10 candidate. “Just because it’s a job without a job description doesn’t mean it’s not important.”
Others are looking at the bright side: Without any official responsibilities or powers in the role, trustees will have more opportunity to spend time listening to families in the community during the hours they’d otherwise spend in meetings.
And, when voicing these community concerns to a school board where they no longer have official authority, they’ll be preaching the importance of strength in unified numbers.
“We’re now given this platform that we might not have otherwise because now we can work directly with our communities and maybe spend a bit more time with them as well, listening to their concerns and bringing them to the board in whatever way we can,” said John MacRae, a Zone 1 candidate.
While eight of 33 trustee candidates have signed on, Varrette says she’s been in touch with more than 30 people, some of whom also decided to help from the sidelines, while others have decided to go different routes.
With more candidates joining the race on the last day before the Aug. 21 deadline, she adds there may be more people signing on as she continues to reach out.
“I’ll meet with them and see how they feel and see if they want to join us or if they are like-minded (and) if they are willing to work together,” she said.
Ottawa’s municipal election is set for Oct. 26. Eligible voters are automatically eligible to vote for the OCDSB trustee in their zone unless they change their school board support designation and instead become a supporter of a different board.
Here are the eight candidates who have signed onto the shared statement of principles:
- John MacRae (Zone 1)
- Daniel Pershick (Zone 3)
- Emily Quaile (Zone 4)
- Natasha Lynn Mott (Zone 5)
- Christopher Durrant (Zone 6)
- Keelin Pringnitz (Zone 10)
- Brendan Ray (Zone 11)
- Cathy Varrette (Zone 12)
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