Calls for WCDSB trustee to resign continue

For the second meeting in a row, dozens of people packed into the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) meetings calling for the resignation of trustee Wendy Ashby.

The calls for her resignation come after a series of now-deleted tweets sparked a debate about her social media posts that some called racist and promoted hate speech.

Multiple screenshots of the Tweet sent to CTV News Kitchener show one tweet read: “The most dangerous creature on the planet is the white Christian male. They're a threat to anyone that is not them. #truth #facts #misogyny #whiteentitlement #racism #homophobia.”

Ashby attended Monday's meeting virtually and did not address the crowd or calls for her to step down.

“When you attack another group of people and start going into the realm of outright racism, hate speech, I think everyone can stand up and stay that’s just simply unacceptable,” delegate Conrad Stanley said at the meeting Monday. “I think the prevailing wisdom, which I agree with, is that she needs to resign.

"I don’t see how she can continue in her functions on this board, given the controversy. It will continue to hound this board and embarrass this board.”

Another delegate, and former WCDSB teacher, said she hopes Ashby resigns.

“I’m not sure why she’s a trustee at the Catholic school board, we'd like to see that she resigns and we’re hoping that she’ll do it,” Jane Richards, retired WCDSB teacher said.

In an email to CTV News Kitchener on Tuesday, Ashby said the only further comment she has is: "I believe I am being targeted because of my support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ population, in particular, my vocal advocacy for transgender and nonbinary folk."

The board released a statement following the Monday meeting, saying they approved a motion to appoint an outside consultant to investigate an allegation of a breach in the board's code of conduct.

While the board did not reference Ashby by name in the statement, they say they will have no further comment until a review of the consultant's report is completed.

During a meeting last week, the board said a number of individuals were disruptive, causing the meeting to be briefly recessed.

“Waterloo Regional Police were called to ensure the safety of all those in attendance. No arrests were made, and no further police action was required. The meeting resumed and Trustees received the presentation from the meeting’s sole registered delegation,” the board posted to its website in response to the meeting and the social media posts from Ashby.

Following last week's meeting, Ashby also released a statement saying in part: "I have decided to remove my Twitter account to ensure that my comments and advocacy will not be taken out of context, in the future."