An election of board members for the Edmonton Society for Christian Education (ESCE) will be contested in court on Monday.Parental group Stand for ECS opposed Pride celebrations in their schools and mobilized absentee ballots for the board election at the June 4 annual general meeting. However, their votes were invalidated, as explained by a July 2 ESCE email newsletter..Parents concerned about progressive ideologies mobilize for board vote at Edmonton Christian Schools.The absentee ballot for the election of board members contained the slate of four names for four positions. During the meeting, ten names in total (four from the slate, and six nominations from the floor) were placed on the ballot. These included four original positions, and an additional position vacated by a recent resignation."A point of order was then made by a Society member that these absentee ballots were no longer valid as per the ESCE bylaws because the motion to elect board members had been substantially altered at the AGM," the newsletter explained."After deliberation between the board officiating the AGM and legal counsel and other advisors hired to support them, the Chair announced that the absentee ballots were not substantially altered, and therefore would be counted."A Society member then appealed the decision...the Chair allowed the motion to appeal her decision on the absentee ballots to go to the Society members for a vote. The... motion to appeal was passed overwhelmingly by the Society members in attendance."The absentee ballots were set aside, which led to none of the original slate of candidates being elected. According to the newsletter, current board members elected previously "unfortunately" view the new board members as illegitimate..Edmonton Christian parents' group says board vote fell to 'angry, radical' mob.Since the AGM two board meetings were scheduled by the new members but cancelled by the board members who officiated the AGM. An online board meeting that was to take place on June 28 was changed to an “information” meeting only. The five new board members and the five nominees to the board who were not elected at the AGM were invited to the meeting.The legacy board members announced that they had retained legal counsel, Stephen Snyder, and asked him to prepare and file, in the name of ESCE, an originating application to overturn the decision made at the AGM to disallow the absentee ballots.This court proceeding was filed on June 26 and is scheduled to be heard at 10 a.m. on Monday before an applications judge in the Edmonton Court of King’s Bench. The letter says the application has no respondents and no one has yet been served with these court documents."This course of action was not authorized by any resolution passed at a meeting of the entire board of ESCE. The board members who officiated the AGM lack the authority on their own to bring these proceedings on behalf of ESCE," said the society letter.The five new board members called an in-person special board meeting of all board members for July 1 at 7:00 pm, but the legacy board members did not attend.
An election of board members for the Edmonton Society for Christian Education (ESCE) will be contested in court on Monday.Parental group Stand for ECS opposed Pride celebrations in their schools and mobilized absentee ballots for the board election at the June 4 annual general meeting. However, their votes were invalidated, as explained by a July 2 ESCE email newsletter..Parents concerned about progressive ideologies mobilize for board vote at Edmonton Christian Schools.The absentee ballot for the election of board members contained the slate of four names for four positions. During the meeting, ten names in total (four from the slate, and six nominations from the floor) were placed on the ballot. These included four original positions, and an additional position vacated by a recent resignation."A point of order was then made by a Society member that these absentee ballots were no longer valid as per the ESCE bylaws because the motion to elect board members had been substantially altered at the AGM," the newsletter explained."After deliberation between the board officiating the AGM and legal counsel and other advisors hired to support them, the Chair announced that the absentee ballots were not substantially altered, and therefore would be counted."A Society member then appealed the decision...the Chair allowed the motion to appeal her decision on the absentee ballots to go to the Society members for a vote. The... motion to appeal was passed overwhelmingly by the Society members in attendance."The absentee ballots were set aside, which led to none of the original slate of candidates being elected. According to the newsletter, current board members elected previously "unfortunately" view the new board members as illegitimate..Edmonton Christian parents' group says board vote fell to 'angry, radical' mob.Since the AGM two board meetings were scheduled by the new members but cancelled by the board members who officiated the AGM. An online board meeting that was to take place on June 28 was changed to an “information” meeting only. The five new board members and the five nominees to the board who were not elected at the AGM were invited to the meeting.The legacy board members announced that they had retained legal counsel, Stephen Snyder, and asked him to prepare and file, in the name of ESCE, an originating application to overturn the decision made at the AGM to disallow the absentee ballots.This court proceeding was filed on June 26 and is scheduled to be heard at 10 a.m. on Monday before an applications judge in the Edmonton Court of King’s Bench. The letter says the application has no respondents and no one has yet been served with these court documents."This course of action was not authorized by any resolution passed at a meeting of the entire board of ESCE. The board members who officiated the AGM lack the authority on their own to bring these proceedings on behalf of ESCE," said the society letter.The five new board members called an in-person special board meeting of all board members for July 1 at 7:00 pm, but the legacy board members did not attend.
