NDP mulls byelection to elect new Vancouver School Board

Vancouver voters could be heading to the polls to vote on a new school board, more than eight months after the B.C. government fired the previous elected trustees.

The incoming NDP government is considering a byelection to replace appointee Dianne Turner, who has been serving in place of the elected board since they were removed in October by the previous Liberal government for failing to approve a balanced budget.

"We will look at this option and be in discussion with the City of Vancouver," the NDP said Wednesday in a written statement.

Outspoken former school board trustee Patti Bacchus said she hasn't decided whether she would run in a school board byelection.

But she said she's received some phone calls from people urging her to take her political career in a new direction running for city council in the byelection to replace Geoff Meggs, who stepped down from city council to serve as NDP Leader John Horgan's chief of staff.

"At one point, I thought I was done with elected politics, but I'm certainly keeping all my options open at this point," Bacchus said.

No date has been set for either vote.

Trustees 'unceremoniously deposed'

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson believes the fired trustees were poorly treated by the Liberal government.

"They were unceremoniously deposed by the prior provincial government and we haven't heard what the province will do next," he said.

In the months since the board was fired, a WorkSafeBC investigation into bullying allegations at the school district found that the behaviour of board members contributed to the stress felt bysix senior VSB managers who went on sick leave in September 2016.

Those senior managers included then-superintendent Scott Robinson, who announced last month that he was stepping down.