Fired Vision Vancouver school board trustees allege education minister defamed them

Four fired Vision Vancouver school trustees are demanding a retraction and apology for what they say are defamatory comments from the education minister and the president of the B.C.'s School Superintendents Association.

Trustees Allan Wong, Joy Alexander, Mike Lombardi, and Patti Bacchus claim Education Minister Mike Bernier made defamatory comments by alleging the trustees had created a "toxic work environment ... and then went on to use that for an excuse for dismissing the entire board."

In a demand letter sent to Bernier, the trustees' defamation lawyer Bryan Baynham wrote that the minister "seriously defamed my clients' good names and reputations."

"[Theminister alleged] that they created a toxic work environment by bullying, harassing and intimidating senior staff at the Vancouver School Board, which directly led to six members of the senior staff taking medical leave at the end of September," he wrote.

Baynham alleged the comments led the public to believe the trustees "were bullies who intimidated senior management."

The letter also described Bernier's earlier comments confirming a WorkSafe investigation as improper, saying the minister should have declined to comment for privacy reasons.

A similar letter sent to Sherry Elwood, the president of B.C.'s School Superintendents Association, alleged she was the source of the complaint that led to the WorkSafe investigationand alleged her complaints appear to be based on hearsay.

The trustee members demanded a full apology and retraction of the defamatory statements.

Months of turmoil

The months leading up to the firing were filled with turmoil for the board.

It started when the itrefused to approve a school budget with a more than $21 million shortfall.

On June 30, the board missed itssecond deadline to approve the budgetand was eligible to be fired.

Instead, Bernier ordered a forensic audit of the board. Then, at the end of September, WorkSafeBC began an investigation into allegations of bullying.

On Oct. 17, Bernier fired all nine trustees.