MONTREAL -- Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Wednesday that after recommendations from public health, scheduled elections for English school boards will be postponed.
So far 89 chairs and commissioners have been elected by acclamation in various English boards.
The remainder of the elections were scheduled for Nov. 1, but public health adviced Legault to postpone them due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Quebec English School Board Association said it is pleased, because it had been pushing for a delay.
QESBA is currently fighting the Quebec government's controversial education reform Bill 40 in court that would eliminate school boards.
On Sept. 17, the Quebec court of appeal granted a suspension of the bill for English school boards.
"The QESBA has been asking since the spring to delay these school board elections for two reasons: One, the whole legal uncertainty, which was only resolved Sept. 17 made holding them difficult – and because of the pandemic. We foresaw all sorts of problems which made it very difficult to hold school board elections during this pandemic so yes we're very pleased with this decision," said QESBA Executive Director Russell Copeman.
The premier did not announce when the elections would take place.
