Next week, voters in Toronto will elect officials with no formal responsibilities.
In addition to choosing who they’d like to be their next mayor and councillor, voters will also be casting their ballots for Toronto District School Board trustees.
Due to the TDSB now being under provincial control, all of the trustees in the TDSB’s newly consolidated 12 wards have had their duties and powers thrust into the hands of a provincially appointed supervisor.
In June 2025, during the final week of school for many Ontario students, the provincial government announced that it would be assuming control of four of the province’s largest school boards, including the TDSB.
For TDSB trustees, that meant they were being relieved of their duties.
TDSB trustee is an elected position responsible for advocating for parents and students, liaising between parents, schools, and the province, and serving as their community’s advocates for public education.
The decision came as a complete shock to Davenport trustee Alexis Dawson, who said she was attending a graduation ceremony when the news broke.
“It felt like a slap in the face,” she told Humber Et Cetera.
After hearing of the provincial takeover of the board at the same time as the general public, Dawson and the rest of the trustees were asked to turn in their phones and computers, and to immediately cease acting in an official capacity.
The duties and responsibilities of the 22 trustees, including dealing directly with parents and acting as a liaison between them and the school board, now belonged to Rohit Gupta, the provincially appointed supervisor who has never worked in education, according to his LinkedIn page.
According to Dawson, Gupta has not made any effort to reach out to trustees, nor has he responded to several advocacy letters she has sent him.
How much faith does Dawson have in Gupta’s ability to do the job of 22 trustees?
“No faith,” she said.
Dawson is seeking re-election in the newly created TDSB Ward 3, which is a combination of the municipal wards of Davenport and Parkdale-High Park.
In the context of the upcoming election, Dawson said that the confusing nature of the trustee situation is intentional, but it is backfiring on the provincial government.
“What you’ll end up with is elected [officials] who aren't able to represent the public who elected them, and so that's just going to get the public even more riled up," she said.
"The fact that [the public] went to the polls, educated themselves on who to vote for, they took the time to do it, and the people they elected to do the job to represent them aren't even allowed to go forward....that's a real slap in the face for democracy, and I don't see it winning over any of the public.”
In Ward 1, which encompasses the municipal wards of Etobicoke North and Humber River-Black Creek, challenger candidate Antonius Clarke said the provincial control of the TDSB is one of the many reasons he decided to run.
"[Provincial supervision] raises important questions about accountability, financial oversight, public confidence, and the relationship between educational institutions and the communities they serve,” Clarke said.
Clarke, a community leader, youth worker, and non-profit director, still sees an incredible amount of responsibility in the trustee role, despite the school board’s loss of authority.
“Provincial supervision may temporarily change the responsibilities of trustees, but it does not diminish our collective responsibility to students and families,” he said.
The municipal election, which includes TDSB trustees, is on Oct. 26.
