11-06-2025
GECDSB takes action against own trustees over conduct
Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB) trustees have taken against two of their own.
A special meeting was held Tuesday night over the alleged conduct of trustee Cathy Cooke and Nancy Armstrong.
The investigation was spurred over the naming process of the now Erie Migration District School in Kingsville last spring.
Rubin Thomlinson LLP was hired by the board to investigate both Cooke's and Armstrong's actions.
The firm found that Cooke violated the board's trustee code of conduct during an interview she gave to media after a special board meeting related to the naming process of the school.
According to the report, Cooke said, 'I am extremely disappointed, I am extremely frustrated, and I think this whole thing was a terrible mess. What they did tonight was shut everybody up. They didn't want trustees to talk. They didn't want to hear anything from anybody in the community, all they wanted to do was shove it through and that's what they did, and it was wrong.'
Cooke also said 'I am disgusted at what just happened.'
The firm's author stated in their report stated that in their opinion, 'Trustee Cooke's comments to the media were personal, demeaning, and disparaging of her fellow trustees, and her statements as such contravened Section 6 of the Code of Conduct.'
Cooke was not present during Tuesday night's special board meeting, in which trustees agreed to accept the findings of the report, with trustees Linda Qin and Armstrong opposed.
Board chair Gale Hatfield brought forward a motion to sanction Cooke through censure.
'Trustee Cooke's remarks to the media were personal, demeaning, and disparaging of her fellow trustees, and the board. Furthermore trustee Cooke failed to act in a manner that would support public confidence in the abilities and integrity of trustee Burgess and the board,' Hatfield said.
The board further sanctioned Cooke by voting to invite her to participate in restorative justice sessions that would allow her to hear from trustees who were affected by her comments.
Trustee Julia Burgess wanted to go one step further by barring Cooke from the first two public meetings of the new year.
Hatfield disagreed with the motion stating she did not think it would serve a purpose considering Cooke's actions did not continue after the media interview.
'I thoroughly believe that the media interview was egregious,' Hatfield said. 'I was highly disturbed, insulted and upset and all the other emotions that go along with it.'
Trustee Kim McKinley was in favour of barring Cooke from future meetings but the motion ultimately failed.
'[Cooke] has not spoken to me, or said anything to me, and it would have made a whole lot of difference because I do tend to be an extremely forgiving person,' McKinley said.
Also at issue for the board was the alleged conduct of trustee Armstrong who was being investigated for comments.
Armstrong who was present for the earlier portion of the meeting got up and walked out when it came to the discussion about her conduct.
Rubin Thomlinson LLP investigated Armstrong over comments she made on a podcast also surrounding the naming process of Erie Migration District School.
The firm found Armstrong's comments discredited the board for its decision respecting the naming of the school, and questioning its integrity and its abilities, contrary to the trustee code of conduct.
Trustees voted to censure Armstrong, invite her to participate in restorative justice sessions, and she is also barred from attending private session meetings, and voting in public on private session matters for the rest of her term. Trustees Qin and Christie Nelson were opposed.
The board will now inform in writing to Cooke and Armstrong of the action taken against them and they will have 14 days to respond.
~ By Dustin Coffman, AM800 News.
