A York Region trustee’s use of a racial slur is “disgusting,” and uttering such a word makes her unfit for office, says Michael Coteau, Ontario’s Minister of Children and Youth Services.
“The word that was used by the trustee is to me — that choice of word is disgusting,” Coteau, who is also responsible for the province’s anti-racism efforts, said on his way into cabinet Thursday afternoon.
“I think that any public official that is elected, or even representing the interest of the community as a public servant, should never use words of hate that have such a deep-rooted ugliness into the past. I think it’s just completely unacceptable.”
When asked if Nancy Elgie should step down, Coteau — himself a former school board trustee — said “any politician that uses that type of term should not be in their job.”
Calls for the long-time trustee to resign continue to grow, with a petition now hitting 2,700 signatures, after Elgie, 82, admitted to using the n-word in public, after a meeting at the board, to refer to a black parent. Her local newspaper in Georgina has also said she cannot remain in office.
Elgie has since apologized for what she said was her “clumsily trying to refer to your concerns as reported in the media, not to you personally.”
The parent, Charline Grant, has launched a human rights complaint about discrimination her son faced at his high school, but it does not involve a racial slur.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative leader told reporters on Thursday that he was “offended” when he learned what Elgie said.
“Certainly that’s not comments we tolerate in the province of Ontario,” said Patrick Brown. “I know there’s been calls on that trustee to resign and I think it’s certainly appropriate. How can you look after students when you’ve frankly been caught saying comments that are offensive to everyone?”
In Georgina, the town council recently issued a statement “promoting and fostering a positive environment for all members of our community … (council) strongly condemns all forms of discrimination and racism. We will continue to work toward a progressive, equitable and inclusive community that best reflects the values that we as Georgina residents all share.”
Because she is an elected official, Elgie cannot be forced out.
She did not attend a board meeting late last month, but did provide a statement, saying “it is plainly unacceptable that anyone in public office would intentionally use such a word to describe another person. That is why it is important for me to explain clearly what happened — not to excuse it, but so that you can understand, and so I can in some way start to heal the harm I have caused.”
Elgie said when she made the comment in November, she was “still suffering from the after-effects of a head injury earlier in the fall” and struggled for words to identify parent Grant. “The words came out horribly wrong.” Elgie did not reply to a request for comment Thursday.
Incidents of racism and Islamophobia — and how the board responds to them — prompted Education Minister Mitzie Hunter to send in two reviewers to speak to staff, parents and students about what’s going on. A report is expected in April.
York Region District School Board director of education J. Philip Parappally said via email Thursday that the board “remains committed to providing high quality instruction in learning and working environments that are safe and welcoming. By any measure of achievement, our students continue to perform above provincial averages. This has been a challenging time for our board, but I want to assure our communities that we have already started taking action to address their concerns.”
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