A civil lawsuit that sought to have a Barrie judge remove Simcoe County District School Board trustee Lisa-Marie Wilson has been dismissed. In his 25-page decision, Justice Joseph Di Luca concluded the twice-elected public school board trustee should not lose her seat following arguments from the school board that Wilson violated legislation under section 219 the Education Act, requiring her to attend at least one board meeting in person every four months. “I feel vindicated in the judge’s decision. I always felt that this was a frivolous suit that was wasting taxpayers’ dollars,” Wilson said after learning the decision. During a hearing over the summer, the Board’s lawyer argued Wilson had vacated her seat by not properly attending the minimum number of meetings in person despite Wilson having prior approval from the Board’s chair to attend meetings virtually while on a temporary work secondment. The Board’s lawyer argued Wilson did not attend a single meeting in person between November 2024 and March 2025, and the Board failed to properly follow and enforce the protocols in place. Wilson said the Board failed to set and follow its own directives and policies and had prior knowledge she was leaving the province for the secondment last year in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Wilson argued her virtual attendance only became an issue following a vote that led to the Board of Trustees chair losing her seat, with Wilson’s being the only vote that wasn’t blind to other members. All other votes, cast in person, were recorded in confidence. Wilson said former chair Jodi Lloyd sought to have Wilson’s vote nullified because it was cast electronically and not in person. Wilson argued her decisive vote against Lloyd is what prompted the push to have her ousted, calling the civil action against her a “vendetta” and “witch hunt.” “Being the only Black and racialized trustee on the board, I also felt that that played into it,” said the trustee. “This was, really, just a couple of people’s doing.” Her lawyer, Jeff Beleskey, said he is pleased with the decision. “There was never an issue of her being able to fulfill the job. She said she was coming in virtually, it was her only vote that was the only one that was visible to the rest of the board and the then chair, Ms. Lloyd, was voted out at that hearing and the results speak for themselves,” said Beleskey. Di Luca said new regulations that came into effect in September will likely prevent similar issues from repeating themselves in the future, with clear guidance to boards that include a renewed commitment to requiring in-person meetings. The judge said the Board chair has a responsibility to ensure that meetings are run according to policies and practices outlined by the Education Act, concluding “the Board should first consider its conduct so as to avoid a situation where a particular Board member is targeted unfairly.” In a statement to CTV News, Brandy Rafeek, chairperson of the Board of Trustees said the board of trustees referred the matter to the courts to seek “an interpretation of its governing legislation ensuring an impartial, unbiassed decision on the matter,” adding, “We appreciate the guidance of the Courts to ensure that the business of the Board was not jeopardized, and we will continue to move forward as a Board based on this decision.” Wilson’s annual salary as an elected Simcoe County District School Board trustee for wards seven to 10 is about $14,000. “The board should work a little harder in putting in rules that they’re supposed to in accordance with the statutory regulations, and to, as Justice Di Luca said, think about their actions before they actually retain litigators and spend tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money,” said Beleskey. “It feels good, you know, that I stood up for what was right. You know, didn’t allow myself to be bullied,” said Wilson, who attended the school board meeting Wednesday evening in person. Wilson said she is seeking full legal costs from the board, having spent about $28,000 to defend herself in court.
