The Suburban – Apr 18, 2018 Last week, as part of a national grassroots campaign to honour the victims of the tragic bus crash in Saskatchewan, Canadians from all corners of the country took part in Hockey Jersey Day. To honour the young men and woman of the […]
Yearly Archives: 2014
91 posts
Three similar opinion pieces in The Gazette, The Suburban and Le Devoir call for government action regarding air quality in our schools.
LBPSB Council of Commissioners meeting – Sept. 23, 2019 @ 7:30 pm Article 168 of the Quebec Education Act calls for Public Question Periods where the taxpaying public is given the opportunity to hold the school board accountable. For over 21 years, strictly as a volunteer, I have been participating […]
School board secrecy erodes public confidence. Decision-making, practices and policies must hinge on an unambiguously clear code of ethics. As chair of the LBPSB: I will recognize that the community has entrusted me with the educational development of the children and youth of the community. I realize the future welfare […]
Good advice in this Gazette letter to the Editor . It is followed by my bio for candidate for chairman. “Voting in school-board elections is more important than ever” We all realize that voting for a candidate who will eventually make decisions for the well-being of our children is important. […]
By Robert Frank with files from Rhonda Massad, April 23, 2014 – The Suburban After 15 years as an education watchdog and a 30-year teaching career, Chris Eustace has decided to toss his hat in the ring to chair the Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB). The Nov. 2 election […]
As previously stated, I will present my platform using an alphabetical format: ….. A: is for ANACHRONISTIC : belonging to another time ; out-of-date ARROGANCE: “showing proud self importance and contempt or disregard for others” (Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary) … AMERESCO: In April […]
The following was presented to the Lester B. Pearson School Board Executive Committee Meeting on Sept. 8, 2014: Since September 2008, I have addressed the Regular Council of Commissioners meetings, and written letters to the editors of several papers requesting the board webcast its Executive Committee Meetings. Not only has […]
LBPSB Budget and Joe Public On Saturday, August 23, 2014, the Lester B. Pearson School Board held a special workshop devoted to the 2014-2015 Budget, in preparation, for its adoption at the upcoming Council Meeting in two days. Yesterday, there were two well-planned events, which were viewed by many people […]
Teacher made a world of difference After 33 years at Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School, Chris Eustace is retiring KAREN SEIDMAN THE GAZETTE After he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Sir George Williams University 34 years ago, Chris Eustace saw an ad offering a Bachelor of Education for $110 […]
West Island Gazette, Montreal, Thursday, September 1, 2005 Thanks to the persistent efforts of a teacher and a politician, Quebec students who participate in World Vision’s 30-hour Famine fundraising project will no longer be excluded from the event’s rewards program. Rewarding experience for Quebecers ANNE SUTHERLAND The Gazette Thanks to the […]
Leadership students take up fight for teacher Experienced substitute loses post Riverdale class tells board chairperson he’s not welcome at fundraising KAREN SEIDMAN, THE GAZETTE The students in the Grade 11 leadership class at Riverdale High School have been having a very political year. In addition to getting involved in […]
The Gazette Retired school teacher Chris Eustace is running for Lester B. Pearson school board chairman. April 25, 2014 Photograph by: Peter McCabe, The Gazette
Perhaps it was that day I decided to be a teacher The Montreal Gazette December 17, 2009 This tale took place outside a pub near the Ngorongoro Crater, which was situated not far from Mount Kilimanjaro, in Tanganyika, East Africa, and happened during the holiday season in 1954. After WWII, […]
National Post Mon. June 9, 2014 Section: Letters Love of Learning Not a day goes by when I don’t think of my father, who instilled in me a love of reading and learning. My dad taught me to read my first book, The Children’s Illustrated Encyclopaedia […]
29 Jan 2014 The Chronicle (Montreal) Whether it is a public or private school, it is always sad to hear about an English educational institution closing due to low enrolment. That said, Queen of Angels Academy school officials will sit down with parents this week “to help find new high […]
Dear Editor: Permit me to clarify some points and offer a different perspective on the February 12th editorial in The Equity : A vote for education . The first paragraph states : ” Among the consequences of the PQ government ‘s cuts to the public school budget just over a year ago will be a significant reduction in the number of […]
The Chronicle May 28, 2008 Congratulations on The Chronicle’s win for Best Overall Community Newspaper of 2007, and the Outstanding Photojournalism award and most important, I believe, Best Education Story award by the Quebec Community Newspapers Association. It’s too bad that the QCNA awards didn’t have a category for ‘best […]
The Montreal Gazette June 21, 2008 Re: “Textbook foulup penalizes anglophone students” (Editorial, June 16). As members of the National Assembly, we know that student success is a priority for the Quebec government. Curriculum reform, begun in 2000, will be introduced to Secondary IV students this fall. They will be […]
The Montreal Gazette – July 3, 2008 Re.: “Parents threatening to withhold fees till textbooks arrive,” (West Island Gazette, June 26). Understandably, parents are very angry, frustrated and outraged because their children will not have all the textbooks to follow properly the curriculum reform. So, what happened? Considering the reform […]
“School boards should accept criticism… it is a sign of respect.” In February 2014, the Quebec English School Boards Association, invited former Education Minister Michelle Courchesne to one of its “Commissioner Readiness” events promoting the school board elections slated for Nov. 2014. Creator of Bill 88, in 2008, which […]
Sarah Leavitt Published on February 09, 2011 Retired teacher and Pierrefonds resident Chris Eustace is crying foul after the Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) has refused to allow him to ask questions during the public question period of the council meetings. As The Chronicle first reported in its April 22 issue, […]
Questions on air quality, ethics, enrolment and overhead barred By Robert Frank, December 4th, 2013 Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) chair Suanne Stein-Day has barred longtime education watchdog Chris Eustace from asking questions during the commissioners’ and executive committee public meetings. She ordered Eustace to sit down when he […]
In regard to my post here, Chairperson Suanne Stein Day wrote the following letter to the editor. The Suburban Wednesday, 7 May 2014 It seems to me, that when a community paper posts incendiary words about a member of the community, they should consider checking if there is any […]
Bill 88 was passed in the autumn of 2008 by Minister of Education Michelle Courchesne of the Charest government. As a retired teacher and school board critic, I was much in favour of the Bill and wrote many letters to editors praising its benefits. In February 2014, the Quebec English […]
It would be very difficult to find as much ink spilled on a school board’s Code of Ethics for Commissioners than the Lester B. Pearson School Board. The reason for that is because the Pearson Board believes it’s above the Quebec Education Act. Let’s look at the most fundamental […]
The Pre- K fiasco The diversion of $100,000′s from the regular operating budget to create Pre-Kindergarten classes. Of course, all this was not right nor ethical and totally illegal. Chapter 1, Division 1 , Rule 1 of the Education Act says: ” The age of admission to preschool […]
This was the preamble to the petition. The organizers garnered 192 signatures, some with pertinent comments SHOULD TAX DOLLARS BE USED TO DISRUPT DORVAL COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER-RUN, NON-PROFIT PRE-SCHOOLS? On December 15th (2008) the Council of Commissioners of the Lester B Pearson School Board (LBPSB) has voted to open a […]
Fed-up with the LBPSB’s misuse of taxpayers money, I fired off the following email at 8:17 a.m , on Feb. 27, 2012, to every MNA in Quebec. I complained that since 2007, LBPSB Pre-Ks were being funded from the regular operating budget from the Board and the community is […]
May 9, 2012 Family ministry investigating Greendale pre–kindergarden problem LBPSB accused of misusing school taxes By Robert Frank The Suburban Last week’s debacle at Greendale School in Pierrefonds has left more than just distraught parents trying to figure out what happened. Now the Quebec government is looking into what went wrong. The Lester B. Pearson […]
In The Gazette article featuring my run for chairman, Suanne Stein Day makes reference to “one meeting with 14 Questions.” The meeting was on September 2013. Chairperson Suanne Stein Day responded to my list of questions at the first Question Period (QP) at the 20-minute mark , and at the […]
According to Articles 220. and 220.1 of the Quebec Education Act : Every school board shall prepare an annual report …..and must invite the public to an information meeting by public notice specifying date, time and place 15 days before it is held….. and answer any questions concerning the report […]
August 03, 2012 West Island Chronicle Chris Eustace still awaits answers on 2009 messaging service bidding process The Lester B. Pearson School Board (LBPSB) has decided to change its messaging system last month from the U.S.-based Connect-Ed to Emergency Response Messaging System (ERMS). The new system will cost $30,000 a […]
This is the original request for information concerning whether or not the LBPSB were granted permission to send private information to a foreign land. Five years later this case has not yet been completely resolved because a second hearing / judgement is needed ………………. March 30, 2009 M. Rémi Poliquin 1925 […]
The Suburban, Letter to the Editor, March 4, 2009 Second look at law Next Tuesday, March 10, the National Assembly of Quebec reconvenes. That’s good because a review and some action are needed concerning the law: “An Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection […]
———- Forwarded message ———-From: Alexis Côté <ACote@lxxx>Date: Tue, Mar 19, 2013 at 4:09 PMSubject: C. Eustace v. Lester-B.-Pearson S.B. (C.A.I. : 09-0899)To: “cgeustace@gmail.com” <cgeustace@gmail.com>Cc: “diane.xxxxx@cai.gouv.qc.ca” <diane.xxxxx@cai.gouv.qc.ca>, Jacques Provencher <jprovencher@xxx> Good afternoon Mr. Eustace, As discussed before the Commission d’accès à l’information, you will find attached two copies of the contract executed between […]
Update on C.A.I case #100 66 71 ( Connect-Ed, and Disrespected LBPSB Community) Review: From the Approved Minutes of the Secondary Schools Parents’ Committee – Feb. 19, 2009: 7.4 Parental Concerns about ‘Connect-Ed’: ” Although all parents agreed that the Board definitely needed a better method of […]
September 14, 2014 The following picture was taken by journalist Robert Frank of The Suburban on December 17, 2012. The caption is from The West Island Suburban. Going on two years later there is no sign of any development of an “Employees Disclosure Protection Policy” (a.k.a. ‘Whistleblower’ Policy’). Meanwhile the […]
At the last Quebec political leaders’ debate, there was a discussion, regarding former employees of public institutions lobbying their former employers. I understood Mr. Couillard (now Premier) to say that he considered there should be a two year time frame, between leaving a government job before doing business with the […]
QUEBEC EDUCATION ACT CODE OF ETHICS for LBPSB COMMISSIONERS 175.1 The council of commissioners must, by by-law, establish a code of ethics and professional conduct which is applicable to the commissioners. “The code shall set out the duties and obligations of the commissioners,…and may prescribe standards ….The code must, among […]
On January 31, 2014, a television news item: “UPAC visits English school boards,” Chairperson Suanne Stein Day states: http://globalnews.ca/video/1122167/upac-talks-to-english-school-boards “Parents should be pleased because once again in a very transparent measure, we are trying to make sure that our administrators, and our governing body, the Council of Commissioners, are working […]
Your Local Journal March 20, 2014 Dear Editor : Article 175.1 (4) of the Quebec Education Act stipulates: ” The council of commissioners must, by by-law… specify the duties and obligations of commissioners even after they leave office.” For about two years, I have been trying with letters, and verbally […]
This was my paper to the : Public English Forum of the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on “Reasonable Accommodation” November 29, 2007 Although the English speaking community is often wrongly considered as being a well-treated minority in Quebec, I believe there is a significant lack of an appropriate accommodation provided by […]
Last Monday, August 26, 2013, was the sixth time over the past 15 years, the Lester B. Pearson School Board Council of Commissioners, refused to hear any talk to withdraw its membership from the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), thus saving a minimum of about $350,000 to invest in the Board’s schools. I asked the board to seriously consider holding a public debate, followed by a referendum, on the issue of our membership to the QESBA, whose main preoccupation, it seems, is to sound important at […]
Wednesday, 26 February 2014 The Suburban Last Sunday, in anticipation of a budget to be deposited this Thursday, the Conseil du patronat du Québec asked the government to be “honest” with Quebecers regarding the economic situation. The province’ largest employer group said the government should “review public spending” and even […]
Disband the Quebec English School Boards Association Re: “Couillard needs to follow through on his promises on education” (Opinion, April 15) Once he is premier, Philippe Couillard should immediately disband the Quebec English School Boards Association and all other similar educational old-boy groups. Whatever the QESBA does for anglophone classroom teachers — and that […]
CHRIS EUSTACE, The Gazette Published: Wednesday, January 08 Grade 10 student Erik Seguin of Royal West Academy is on to something with his idea that students ought to have a bigger say in their education. However, I think that parents should also have some input. That said, here are four thoughts […]
Montreal Gazette Public schools need ombudsmen Thursday, April 14, 2005 Section: Editorial / Op-Ed I was saddened and angered to read your April 6 letter, “Pearson board needs threat policy.” The thrust of the letter from Stephanie (surname withheld) was praise for the way John Rennie High School was […]
Sept. 14, 2014 In the draft Code of Ethics for Commissioners, earlier on this site, I included this clause: “I will encourage any initiatives and projects undertaken by citizens that are specifically designed toward the well-being of students.” The reason for this inclusion is the fact that as a citizen […]
August 24, 2014 ( The following story explains why I wish to put the Kids Help Phone link on the LBPSB homepage. The Pearson board has refused.) Montreal Gazette Thursday, February 15, 2007 Section: West Island: Voices Of The Community Letter to the Editor Counter youth suicide with education Feb. 6 was the […]
(The following letter was written by the Political Attaché of my then MNA Yolande James. The letter was written in reaction to the Gazette story below. “S.Day” is Suanne Stein Day, former chair of the Central Parents Committee, who was not helpful. It was amazing how the LBPSB was fully […]
Pearson’s view on class size troubling – Letter to the editor The Montreal Gazette AUGUST 28, 2008 Earlier this year, Education Minister Michelle Courchesne announced a worthy goal that aimed at reducing class size. For starters, hire 1,000 more teachers, principally focussed on helping students with special needs, and producing […]
Compliments to reporters Joel Ceausu and Robert Frank for their educational pieces concerning the school board elections slated for Nov. 2, in the July 30 issue of The Suburban titled: “2014: Where we’ve been …. and where we’re going.”Their articles are a follow up to their joint piece in the Jan. 1 issue: “School board elections present hope for […]
“Pierrefonds Comprehensive High School teacher Chris Eustace took his students outside for English class to escape poorly air conditioned school building during a hot and humid day last Friday.” High school heats up – Outdoor classes held to protest air conditioning. – PDF
Climate control in schools_radon_mould_and_air_quality This is the letter, published in The Chronicle on January 25, 2012 Consider these events: Since early December 2011, there have been reports on the problems of the indoor air quality of an elementary school of the Commission scolaire de Montréal. As a result the CSDM […]
Extra information on school taxes in the following article. Note the comments following the piece : How to pay property taxes in Montreal: Municipal tax and school tax http://uscitizenmovestocanada.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-pay-property-taxes-in-montreal.html
The Gazette Friday, July 17, 2009 Re: “School-tax investment losses a blip: chairman” (Gazette, July 14). Last April, the Comité de gestion de la taxe scolaire de l’île de Montréal was asking the education ministry for a bailout due to a financial investment it had made that went south. It […]
The Following are two excerpts from the Minutes of the Montreal Island School Tax Committee They are from the Public Question Periods of April 2013 and May 2014. MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE SCHOOL TAX ISLAND OF MONTREAL 14. PUBLIC QUESTION PERIOD April 11, 2013 Chris Eustace Pierrefonds expresses its concerns with Concerning […]
The Suburban January 8, 2014 Further to Editor Beryl Wajsman’s statement in his article on the Jan. 1 edition that “this is ammunition you need to have,” let me offer some more. As a regular attendee at the Lester B. Pearson School Board council and executive committee meetings, allow me […]
The Suburban Wednesday, 9 April 2014 Compliments on your April 2 West Island edition of The Suburban, which included the comprehensive article by journalist Robert Frank: LBPSB reverses position on emergency measures and a letter to the editor entitled: Getting the facts right. Both pieces came a long way in […]
The Gazette Impressed by Couillard Wed Mar 12 2014 Re: “Eliminate jobs, not school boards: Couillard” (Gazette Online, March 10) Kudos to Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard for taking a plank from François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec’s education platform to reduce the education bureaucracy at the provincial level. Both parties […]
The Suburban – Letter to the Editor – April 23, 2014 Except for one troubling issue, which pertains to its education platform, the Liberal majority win last week is most welcome and appreciated. The Liberals seem intent to reduce bureaucracy by abolishing provincial regional offices – a great idea, but […]
The Suburban letter to the Editor – May 28, 2014 City Councillor Marvin Rotrand is certainly on the right track , raising awareness on some significant issues , in his May 21 letter to The Suburban, concerning the Nov. 2 : ” School board elections.” ( As a […]
The Suburban – Letter to the Editor – June 11, 2014 … … In her letter to The Suburban on June 4, titled : “Clarification in order,” Mary Fabian writes that she is “somewhat confused” regarding my candidacy for chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, considering I have […]
Dear Editor: … There were four significant happenings at the Lester B. Pearson School Board Council of Commissioners Meeting on June 23, 2014. … 1. There was no Budget 2014-2015 discussion, as advertised, because all the parameters from the government have not yet been received. ( My question for the […]
YLJ June 19, 2014 Letter to the Editor: On June 4, 2014, the Couillard government passed its first Budget. Even before the reading of the Budget , school boards were raising alarms. Kids and education will suffer, they said. This is standard procedure for the boards to complain, regardless of […]
(YLJ does not give titles to their letters to the editor. The titles in the YLJ letters are mine.) Dear Editor: In light of calls for change in our school-tax system, consider these two significant announcements made last weekend: With a provincial budget looming, the president of the province’s […]
Top marks to former Minister of Education Michelle Courchesne for her inspirational talk and telling it as it is, on Feb. 22, at a webcast meeting from the Pearson board, promoting the upcoming November 2014 school board elections. Her presentation referred to features of her parent-friendly Bill 88, ” Gouvernance […]
On St. Jean Baptiste Day, June 24, 2010, I wrote to all Members of the National Assembly that I had been barred by the chairman of the Pearson board from asking questions or making comments at the public Question Period – a practice I had been doing for about 11 […]
Dear Editor: Since last week’s win in the Quebec election of Liberal leader Philippe Couillard , there has been an article , a press release (both April 8), and an opinion piece pertaining to the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA). The three write-ups, in essence, ask the new government […]
Have you ever heard of the expression : “No comments from the peanut gallery?” On April 28, 2014, I attended the Lester B. Pearson School Board Council of Commissioners Meeting. I was strictly there as an observer because I am still barred – 5 months now – from asking questions at the […]
After submitting my questions and comments in writing, I attended the May 8 meeting of the School Tax Committee, known also by its French acronym, CGTSIM (cgtsim.qc.ca).I wanted to ascertain how much our school taxes would be hiked this year, and repeat a recommendation: School boards should get out of the […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges February 26, 2014 Compliments to former Minister of Education Michelle Courchesne for her inspirational talk on Feb. 22, webcast from the Pearson board, promoting the upcoming November 2014 school board elections. Her presentation referred to features of her parent-friendly Bill 88, Gouvernance et de la démocratie scolaire which […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges June 4, 2014 At the May 26, 2014, Lester B. Pearson School Board Council of Commissioners Meeting, Chairperson Suanne Stein Day (SSD) assigned a commissioner to be the timekeeper of one of the new rules regarding the Public Question Period. You may recall the new rules, which were […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges May 21, 2014 Re: LBPSB : Stein Day to run against Eustace, Nolet, (Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges, May 14) Lester B. Pearson School Board chair Suanne Stein Day (SSD) is “not sure why the upcoming elections have become such a hot topic.” As one candidate running for chair, allow me […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges Jul 2nd, 2014 Chairmanship candidate Eustace, who has been barred from asking questions at board council meetings for the past seven months, said yesterday that he fully endorses the ethics inquiry into the chairman and believes Stein Day should step down until “all this is cleared up.” Eustace […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges July 2, 2014 As we report this week, three governing board members from a Lester B. Pearson School Board elementary school are calling for an inquiry by the board’s ethics commissioner into alleged conflicts of interest on the part of chairman Suanne Stein Day. It’s their right, it’s […]
Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges Letter to the Editor – July 9, 2014 Thank you for publishing the Gazette Vaudreuil-Soulanges articles LBPSB: Dissidents demand conflict of interest probe and Candidates: Inquiry needed to clear air. (July 2) Those articles provide a clearer understanding of the questionable relationship between the Lester B. Pearson School […]
(After waiting almost three months since I was barred to speak at Council, I hired a lawyer to fight for my democratic right to speak at Council. ) Subject : Formal notice Madam Stein Day, We are the lawyers for Mister Chris Eustace. Our client has informed us that the […]
Me Martin, We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 12, 2014. Please be advised that we are mandated to represent Mrs. Stein Day, Chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, in the present matter. As you are probably aware, as Chairman of the Board, it is […]
(This is a final attempt.) Object: The rights of Mister Chris Eustace Maitre Hamel, The Quebec Education Act grants our client at section 168 the right to ask questions to the Board at the public meetings. Section 220.1 establishes that the commissioners must present the content of an annual report […]
School board withdraws from association Denounces exit bonus By Joel Ceausu The Suburban Quebec’s second largest school board is severing ties with the Quebec Federation of School Commissions (FCSQ). The Commission scolaire Marguerite- Bourgeoys (CSMB) announced last week that it is withdrawing from the federation that groups 61 French school […]
Quebec Treasury Board President Martin Coiteux is blasting school boards for lavish spending. The newly-elected West Island Nelligan MNA expressed outrage that 150 school board commissioners are on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Chateau Montebello from midweek to Saturday. “I’m calling on their better judgment. I’m calling on the directors […]
The Gazette August 28, 2013 Is there still a reason for public school fees? As students return to ” class this week, parents will undoubtedly be expected to shell out a pretty penny for school fees, charged at most public schools for some school materials and […]
The Gazette Kudos for blasting school board spending Montreal Gazette Wed May 21 2014 Section: West Island Kudos to Quebec Treasury Board President Martin Coiteux for blasting school boards for their lavish spending at their convention in a posh resort. According to a May 16 Canadian Press […]
The Gazette April 13, 2011 Parents rock! Re: “Review closings, EMSB urged” (Gazette, April 11). Bravo to English Montreal School Board parent commissioners Angie Bertone and Gail Giannakas for new hope for parents worried about proposals on school closings, mergers and relocations. Add Linda Perez, head of […]
June 6, 2014 Re: “Will anti-school-board school board candidate work to eliminate the board?” ( Online Letters, May 30) Mary Fabian is “curious” and “confused” regarding my intentions behind my quest to be the next chairman of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, considering I have been critical of boards […]
The enemy of school board democracy is school board secrecy. Last Monday, the Lester B. Pearson School Board held its second to last Executive Committee meeting of its mandate before the Nov. 2 school board elections. It was not webcast; I was the ‘public.’ Moreover, going on eight months, I’m […]
