Voters will head to the polls today to elect two new trustees for Toronto’s French-language school boards, months after the races were called off over eligibility issues.
Polls are now open at seven sites across the city, including Agincourt Recreation Centre (RC), 31 Glen Watford Dr.; Broadlands Community Centre (CC), 19 Castlegrove Blvd.; East York CC, 1081 ½ Pape Ave.; Heron Park CC, 292 Manse Rd.; Regent Park CC, 402 Shuter St.; Trinity Community RC, 155 Crawford St., and Warden Hilltop CC, 25 Mendelssohn St.
Residents can also vote at a number of long-term care and retirement homes on Jan. 23 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Advance voting for today's byelection was held over the weekend at the seven aforementioned locations.
A total of seven candidates are running in Ward 3 – Centre: Richard Kempler, Pierre Lermusieux, Adrian Mansard, Alexandre Nanoff, Serge Paul, Anna-Karyna Ruszkowski, and Mary Wood, while three are vying to represent Ward 4 – Toronto East. They include Rhea Dechaine, Regis Joseph, and Valérie Rousseau.
Eligible voters must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident in Conseil scolaire (CS) Viamonde (Ward 3 – Centre) or Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Ward 4 – Toronto Est), or a non-resident, but you or your spouse own or rent residential property in Conseil scolaire Viamonde (Ward 3 – Centre) or Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (Ward 4 – Toronto Est), and are not prohibited from voting under any law.
To vote for a French-language public school board, you must be a French-language rights holder or you or your spouse must be a French-language public school board supporter.
To vote for a French-language Catholic school board, you must be a Roman Catholic, and a French-language rights holder or you or your spouse must be a French-language separate school board supporter.
Days before last fall’s municipal election, Toronto’s city clerk John D. Elvidge nullified two Toronto trustee races, one in the French public board, CS Viamonde, and the other in the French Catholic one, CS MonAvenir.
On Oct. 19, Elvidge announced one of the two candidates running to represent Ward 3 – Centre was found to be ineligible to hold office.
Two days later, he determined two of the three candidates running in Ward 4 – Toronto Est were also not qualified for office.
Elvidge did not name those who were deemed ineligible.
In order to run as a French-language school board trustee, candidates must have learned French first and still understand the language, have attended a French-language school in Canada, or must have children who attended or have attended a French language school in Canada. These requirements are all outlined in the Education Act.
