Future potential Calgary public school trustees will now need a criminal record check when they submit their nomination papers for the 2025 election
The Calgary Board of Education’s board of trustees voted 4-1 on Dec. 17 to require candidates to provide a criminal record check from the Calgary Police Service when submitting their nomination papers.
Bylaw 2, otherwise known as the Police Information Check Bylaw, states that police information checks must be dated no earlier than six months before a candidate submits their nomination. Candidates are also responsible for paying for their own criminal record checks.
Administration told trustees at a special board meeting on Monday that the new bylaw also aligns with CBE hiring practices. All CBE employees are required to provide a police information check when they are hired, and some CBE employees are also required to provide vulnerable sector checks every five years as part of their employment.
Administration added that the criminal record check will not prevent someone from submitting their nomination papers, nor will it prevent someone from being elected.
This comes after Calgary city council voted to require candidates for mayor and councillor to provide a criminal record check when submitting their nomination papers for the municipal election that is scheduled for October 2025. It also comes after amendments to Alberta’s Local Authorities Election Act came into effect on Oct. 31, which allows municipalities to require criminal record checks for municipal election candidates.
The CBE board of trustees also voted to defer third reading of the bylaw from a special board meeting on Monday so Trustee Marilyn Dennis could participate in the debate. However, she was not present for Tuesday’s regular board meeting.
“It’s a reasonable action to require candidates … When Calgarians are choosing who to entrust with making policy and governance decisions on behalf of over 142,000 students and their families, we want sound judgment from those at the top,” said Trustee Laura Hack, who represents 3 and 4.
“I urge my fellow trustees to pass this motion. What the public does with the information will be up to them, but to stop that information from being asked for in the first place … I believe is disingenuous to our role as trustees, when at the CBE we say students come first and that public education serves the common good.”
Trustee Nancy Close, who represents wards 11 and 13, said the bylaw is providing voters with more information about the candidates’ background.
“I think it is demonstrating leadership and culture and values and ethical behaviour, and it’s modelling values, more importantly, related to respect, transparency and openness,” she said.
“It’s not up to us to judge. I also reiterated the importance of consistency as a value, and I think it is compelling that the City of Calgary is exploring this, and that Calgary Catholic has already approved their bylaw.”
Bylaw may be a barrier to democracy: Vukadinovic
Trustee Susan Vukadinovic, who represents Wards 8 and 9, said she is “deeply uncomfortable” about how Calgarians with criminal record checks will be treated under the bylaw. She cited privacy concerns as well as ethical concerns, saying criminal record checks don’t necessarily mean someone has unethical behaviour and wouldn’t be able to model leadership.
Vukadinovic also said it doesn’t make sense for the CBE to require criminal record checks for trustee candidates when MLAs and MPs are not required to submit one.
“I do want scrutiny, but I want us to be talking about real issues. I want us to be talking about do candidates believe in public education? Do candidates… send their own kids to public schools? Do candidates know how to read financial statements? That’s what we should be asking candidates, not whether or not there’s anything on their criminal record check,” she said.
“I don’t like this idea that we should be driving towards this gotcha politics where we find something in somebody’s past and dig it up … It’s like we’re doubling down on these hectoring bad vibes that have inundated our world.
She also urged trustees to defer the motion so administration can research the potential risks and repercussions the bylaw may pose.
“I urge you to vote against this bylaw because democracy serves best when only the barriers that absolutely need to be there are put in place as guardrails,” Vukadinovic said.
“This bylaw will create one more barrier that will make it that much harder for people to run for election, and I find it very troubling and disappointing to be a member of a board that made it harder for people to run for office. It isn’t a harmless change.”
Board Chair Patricia Bolger said it is not unreasonable to “having high expectations” for those seeking office with the board of trustees.
“Although there may not be a specific problem per se that we’re trying to solve, it doesn’t discount the potential value and bring this bylaw forward so the electorate is informed in its decision making. This is simply one more piece of information that voters can use in making the determination as to who they cast their vote for,” she said.
“We hope they’re also assessing if candidates value public education, if they can effectively and collaboratively work with the board made up of the fellow trustees, and whether or not they have an understanding of policy, governance and the overall structure of CBE. This bylaw, as mentioned, doesn’t preclude candidates from running for office, nor from being elected.”
