Ward 3 — Etobicoke-Lakeshore

Jenneen Marie Beattie is an Etobicoke-based artist with a BFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practices from OCAD and a graduate certificate in Arts Administration and Cultural Management from Humber College. She sits on the board of directors of Neilson Park Creative Centre and currently works with Mural Routes, supporting community-engaged art projects.

Branko Gasperlin is a Canadian Armed Forces veteran who previously ran in 2019 as a federal NDP candidate for the Etobicoke—Lakeshore. He placed third out of six candidates. As part of his campaign for Ward 3 TDSB trustee, he wants to ensure students are informed about their college and university options, address maintenance backlogs and eliminate standardized testing.

David Kalbfleisch is a professional accountant with over 30 years of experience working for a logistics company in areas like operations management, auditing, accounting, and customer service. He previously ran for Ward 3 trustee in the 2018 municipal election, having placed eighth out of ten candidates. A parent to two children, including a child who has special needs, David wants to work towards more funding for education assistants, resources to improve student mental health, including extracurricular activities, and balance the budget to avoid cuts to programs and the reduction of teachers. He says he also wants to work with the provincial government to address school repairs by selling surplus school properties.

Patrick Nunziata is the incumbent trustee for Ward 3, holding office since 2018. He has a background in fine art, holding a BFA from Western University. He is also the owner of an art-to-wear apparel line. Nunziata mentions he is the son of former MP, John Nunziata, and the nephew of Ward 11 city councillor, Frances Nunziata. He supports greater partnership with Toronto Police and the TDSB to increase school safety and community building, and programs that inspire both creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability. Nunziata wants to see a curriculum that includes adequate student mental health support and sexual education. He also commits to advocating for school repairs and maintenance, as well as for expansion of Ontario Youth Apprenticeship and Specialist High Skills Major programs and specialised arts programs.

Ireneusz Sadkowski is a Street Outreach Counsellor/ Housing Worker for the City of Toronto’s Shelter, Support and Housing Division. Prior to this role, he was an Ontario Works caseworker with the City of Toronto Employment and Social Service, and a sports instructor for children and youth with Toronto Parks and Recreation. A longtime resident of Ward 3, Sadkowski’s priorities include improving access to services including mental health support and outlets for physical health for students. He is also an advocate for skilled trades learning and hands-on learning opportunities.

Jo-Ann Davis is a former TCDSB Trustee for Ward 9, holding the office from 2010 to 2018. During her term, she was elected Chair and Vice Chair of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. She currently serves on several boards including Young People’s Theatre, Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy and Space Place Canada. She also served as the Chair of her son’s elementary school, the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School’s Parent Council. In May 2019, as Chair, she coordinated a delegation of parents and students to advocate for funding for playground revitalization at a TCDSB Board of Trustees meeting. In June 2019, one month after the delegation, the Board approved an annual $1.2 million Playground Reserve (later doubled to $2.4 million annually) for playground revitalization projects across the district.

Davis is a senior associate at the consulting firm of Leman Group where she specializes in major strategic changes for clients Including mergers and acquisitions. Holding a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in Chinese politics and law, Davis is the former president of the Toronto branch of the Canadian International Council, an independent, non-partisan organization that engages local citizens in Canadian global affairs. She placed second in the 2018 provincial elections as a Liberal Candidate for University-Rosedale.

Teresa Lubinski is the incumbent trustee for Ward 4, holding office since 2018.  According to her trustee bio, her accomplishments include securing funding for daycare expansion and the creation of new school buildings; she also says she initiated raising the Every Child Matters flag across all schools in the TCDSB. In 2019, she recused herself from a vote to sanction trustee Michael del Grande for equating LGBTQ rights to bestiality and other inappropriate terms during a trustee debate. She also voted against flying the pride flag and the inclusion of inclusive gender terms in the TCDSB Code of Conduct. While there is limited information on Lubinski’s website regarding her campaign for the upcoming election, she emphasizes her commitment to “protecting Catholic education” and points to her work as a trustee.

Barbara Poplawski was a Toronto Catholic School Board trustee from 1978-2018 for Ward 10. During her tenure, she served in a variety of positions including chair of the TCDSB and sat on the board of directors of the Angel Foundation for Learning. Poplawski recently received the 2022 OCSTA Trustee Award of Merit from the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association. In 2010, according to the Toronto Star, Poplawski testified in Ontario Superior Court in a conflict-of-interest dispute against her which argued that in 2008, she removed herself from a vote on teacher layoffs (her daughter is a teacher) and then allegedly made a thumbs-down gesture from the sidelines of the vote. She denied making any gestures, saying she could not recall and would not have tried to influence the vote. On her campaign website, she notes her work spearheading the first “joint-use facility” initiative between TCDSB and the City of Toronto in 1997, resulting in a double gym and community facility at Holy Family Elementary School.

Geneviève Oger is the incumbent trustee for Conseil scolaire Viamonde Ward 4 – Ouest. She was elected in 2018 and has won the election by acclamation for the coming term, given she is running unopposed. Oger is the acting Senior Policy & Issues Advisor to the Deputy Minister’s Office at the Ontario Ministry of Francophone Affairs. She was the former media spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, and was formerly a journalist. She is also vice chair of the Conseil Scolaire Viamonde – Ouest board and sits on the board of directors for Association des Conseils Scolaires des écoles publiques de l’Ontario. As part of her 2018 campaign, Oger said she prioritizes inclusivity in schools, providing support for multicultural, multilingual families to pass on their language and culture to the next generation, and ensuring the engagement and consultation of parents in decision-making.

Nathalie Dufour Séguin is the incumbent trustee for MonAvenir Ward 3 – Toronto Ouest and has been re-elected by acclamation for the 2022 term as she is running unopposed. She was first elected trustee by ballot vote in 2006 and received acclamation in 2010. In 2014, she decided to step down to pursue other projects and was re-elected by ballot vote in 2018. Outside of the TCDSB, Dufour Séguin is an Education Community Relationship Manager for Groupe Média TFO, a media company that generates educational and cultural content for the Ontario Francophone community. She is also a former board member and former president of Toronto Francophone Women’s Shelter La Maison d’hébergement francophone de Toronto.

Dufour Séguin is on the MonAvenir School Council, having originally joined in 2006 when she became trustee (when the school was named Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud). After serving as vice president for two years, she was elected president in 2012, a role she held until 2014. In 2013, under Dufour Séguin’s leadership, the school council launched a discrimination action against the province as a means of forcing the Ministry of Education to replace one of their Hamilton-based schools with a new, larger building for the expanded student population. An issue Dufour Séguin said people have been advocating for since the 1990’s, the council invoked charter rights by arguing the Francophone school was not being resourced adequately and therefore access to education was not equal to those in Anglophone schools.