Katherine Korakakis

Ortona, team sweep EMSB election

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Joe Ortona was re-elected chairman of the English Montreal School Board by a wide margin and his entire team was elected, defeating challenger Katherine Korakakis and her team. The voter turnout was 22 percent and observers feel it would have been higher had registration rules not been changed in mid-campaign by the returning officer and Elections Quebec.

The election was contested vigorously, with some barbs at times as seen on social media. Volunteers called potential voters as late as this past Saturday night.

“Thank you to everyone who came out to vote today,” Ortona said Sunday night. “Your support means everything to us, and we’re proud to continue advocating for the needs of our English-speaking community. The journey to protect our schools never stops, and we’re honoured to have your trust. Here’s to a brighter future for the EMSB, our students and our community. Together, we’ll keep building something great.”

Ortona touted the board’s success rate of 95.9 percent graduation, and talked about the political battles the board is waging against the Quebec government over Bill 96, Bill 21, and Bill 40 – the contentious bid by the government to abolish school boards, as they did for the French sector (which some have blamed for the Ecole Bedford fiasco).

Ortona says the results send a strong message to the CAQ in terms of the community being in control of its own schools.

The results were:• For chair:Joe Ortona, Team Joe Ortona 13,289

Katherine Korakakis, Team Katherine Korakakis 4,674

• Ward 1 (Ahuntsic-Cartierville–Montréal-Nord)

Susan Perera , Team Joe Ortona 916

Franco Mazzariello, Team Katherine Korakakis 425

• Ward 2 (Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

Chelsea Craig, Team Joe Ortona 1,039

Howie Silbiger, Team Katherine Korakakis 631

• Ward 3 (Côte-Saint-Luc. Montreal West, Hampstead)

Paola Samuel, Team Joe Ortona 1,607

Samara Perez, Team Katherine Korakakis 1,110

• Ward 4 (Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve–Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie–Plateau-Mont-Royal–Anjou–Montreal-Est)

Maria Corsi, Team Joe Ortona 1,121

Viktoriya Grosko, Team Katherine Korakakis 333

• Ward 5 (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

Sharon Nelson, Team Joe Ortona 1,132

Joseph Lalla, Team Katherine Korakakis 853

• Ward 6 (Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles)

Pietro Mercuri, Team Joe Ortona 2,248

Tony Aversano, Team Katherine Korakakis 340

• Ward 7 (Saint-Laurent)

James Kromida, Team Joe Ortona 974

Vicky Pololos, Team Katherine Korakakis 471

• Ward 8 (Saint-Léonard)

Mario Pietrangelo, Team Joe Ortona 1,681

Antonio Zaruso, Team Katherine Korakakis 521

• Ward 9 (Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension–Mont-Royal–Outremont

Paula Kilian, Team Joe Ortona 938

Joanne Charron, Team Katherine Korakakis 310

• Ward 10 (Westmount–Sud-Ouest–Ville-Marie)

Julien Feldman, Team Joe Ortona 1,243

Shalani Bel, Team Katherine Korakakis 752 n

Ortona, team sweep EMSB election Read More »

The EMSB Election: The Korakakis Team

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Incumbent Chair Joe Ortona and his team are being challenged by Team Katherine Korakakis. Korakakis is president of the English Parents Committee Association of Quebec. Her platform includes “prioritizing the mental well-being of our students through comprehensive support programs, ensure that every dollar spent contributes directly to the well-being and success of our students and schools,” amongst others. Korakakis herself has said that as EMSB chair, she “intends to prioritize transparency, accountability, and community engagement.”

Her candidates include:

Ward 1: Franco Mazzariello (Ahuntsic-Cartierville-Montréal-Nord): Mazzariell has more than 15 years of involvement in the school board, and has served as Vice Chairman of the Governing Board at both Gerald McShane and Lester B. Pearson High School, which he fought to keep open.

Ward 2: Howie Silbiger (Côte des Neiges): Silbiger has been an educator for 11 years as well as a longtime radio show host, discussing education, community issues, and current events.

Ward 3: Samara Perez (Côte St.Luc, Montreal West, Hampstead): Dr. Samara Perez is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University, a licensed psychologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), and an Associate Investigator at the Research Institute of the MUHC.

Ward 4: Viktoriya Grosko (Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Rosemont, La Petite Patrie, Mont-Royal, Anjou, Montréal-Est): Grosko is an entrepreneur, artist, and advocate for children’s education; the founder of Art Blooms Club and host of a Ukrainian radio show.

Ward 5: Incumbent Joseph Lalla (NDG): Lalla has been an educator and principal for more than 35 years and a commissioner since 2007.

Ward 6: Tony Aversano (Rivière des Prairies): Aversano has been a member of the governing board of Lester B. Pearson High School.

Ward 7: Vicky Pololos (St. Laurent): Pololos is Chair of the Gardenview School Governing Board and an active delegate to the EMSB Parent’s Committee.

Ward 8: Antonio Zaruso (St. Leonard): Zaruso has served on the governing boards of General Vanier Elementary, Dante Elementary, and Laurier Macdonald High School and is an environmental consultant.

Ward 9: Joanne Charron Yannakis (Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, Mount-Royal, Outremont): Charron-Yannakis was leader of a grassroots movement to prevent the closures of Carlyle Elementary and Mackay Centre and has worked with the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec, Quebec English School Boards Association, and the Quebec Community Groups Network.

Ward 10: Shalani Bel (Westmount, Southwest, Ville-Marie): Bel served on the governing board of Westmount Park School (WPS) for four years — two as Chair — and has been the parent delegate of WPS to the EMSB Parent Committee for three years. n

The EMSB Election: The Korakakis Team Read More »

‘It’s a language witch hunt!’

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

The latest of several protests against Quebec’s language law Bill 96 was held this past Sunday outside the Jewish General Hospital by Let’s Talk About Quebec and other groups, attracting nearly 100 people.

Numerous motorists drove by, honking their horns in support.

“We’re contesting the directives,” Marc Perez of Let’s Talk About Quebec told The Suburban. “This is the 10th rally we’ve organized. We want to continue the pressure that we have on the government, and we’ve been saying this for the last three years, that Bill 96 is completely wrong. It’s hurting the anglophone community and it’s so vague that no one knows how to apply it.”

Katherine Korakakis, a candidate for chair of the English Montreal School Board, told The Suburban, “having been one of the main organizers of the first Bill 96 protest in 2022, where we had thousands of people attend, it’s important that we continue to show our discontent to the government of Quebec and to show the ill-effects of this law, which was passed through closure.”

Long-time language activist Antoinette Mercurio of the Unity Group said that when she had to go the JGH in relation to her uterine cancer last year, a male triage nurse insisted on speaking to her in French.

“I’ve always come here, I’ve always been treated fairly… I said if you want to speak French, go work at Charles-Le Moyne Hospital, here it’s bilingual. When you’re sick, this is not when you want to go through!”

The JGH has responded that it can provide services in a language other than French when asked to by a user, and that any complaint should be directed to the ombudsman.

Cosimo La Rosa of the Red Coalition read a statement from organization head Joel DeBellefeuille. The organization recently filed a $1 million complaint with the Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission against Bill 96.

“We’re raising our voices against what has become one of the most divisive, discriminatory pieces of legislation in Quebec’s modern history,” La Rosa said.

DeBellefeuille’s statement says, “Bill 96 is not just about language, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking it’s merely a law to protect the French language. The reality is much darker and much more dangerous. Bill 96 uses a heavy handed power of Section 33 of the Charter, the infamous Notwithstanding clause, uses it to preemptively strike down fundamental rights.

“We’ve all heard the stories of businesses being fined or harassed because their sign wasn’t predominantly in French, or because an employee was overheard speaking in English. It’s a language witch hunt, plain and simple! And it’s tearing at the fabric of our society!” n

‘It’s a language witch hunt!’ Read More »

Scroll to Top