Green trustee Janet Fraser elected chair of Vancouver school board

    1 of 1 2 of 1

      The Vancouver Greens now chair two of the city's three elected bodies.

      That's because last night, Janet Fraser was elected to head the nine-person Vancouver school board.

      It came at the first meeting of an elected school board since last year, when then education minister Mike Bernier fired trustees following a dispute over whether schools should be closed and whether the former board should have sold the Kingsgate Mall.

      Fraser will select a vice-chair in the coming days, according to a VSB news release.

      In the recent school board by-election, the three Green candidates—Fraser, Judy Zaichkowsky, and Estrellita Gonzalez—topped the polls, with each receiving more than 20,000 votes. 

      Fraser's 27,360 votes vastly exceeded the highest number recorded by a non-Green candidate, Vision Vancouver's Joy Alexander, who received 19,709 votes.

      Political newcomer Lisa Dominato received the most votes of any of the NPA candidates: 18,258. She and Fraser Ballantyne were the only two elected from her party, which was the NPA's worst showing in a school board election since 2008.

      The other Green heading an elected body is Michael Wiebe, chair of the Vancouver park board.

      This marks the first time in B.C. history that Green party politicians are chairing two elected boards in the same city.

      The other elected chair is Mayor Gregor Robertson of Vision Vancouver. He chairs meetings of Vancouver city council.

      Comments