2SLGBTQ+ Advisory Committee

African-Canadian Advisory Committee

Catholic Social Justice Committee

Child Care Advisory Committee

Filipino-Canadian Advisory Committee

Indigenous Education Advisory Committee

Portuguese-Speaking Communities Advisory Committee

Spanish-Speaking Communities Advisory Committee

Ukrainian-Canadian Advisory Committee

• April 15, 2024

• September 24, 2024

• November 27, 2024

• January 9, 2024 (Minutes Pending Approval)

• November 27, 2023 (Minutes Pending Approval)

• Approved Meeting Minutes - October 16, 2023

• Approved Meeting Minutes - May 15, 2023

• Approved Meeting Minutes - March 21, 2023

• Approved Meeting Minutes - September 12, 2022

• Approved Meeting Minutes - May 9, 2022

• Approved Meeting Minutes - December 7, 2021

• Approved Meeting Minutes - October 27, 2021

• Approved Meeting Minutes - June 17, 2021

• Approved Meeting Minutes - March 30, 2021

• Approved Meeting Minutes - January 27, 2021

• Approved Meeting Minutes - April 27, 2020

• Approved Meeting Minutes - January 29, 2020

• Approved Meeting Minutes - November 18, 2019

• Approved Meeting Minutes - May 6, 2019

• Approved Meeting Minutes - March 5, 2019

• ​Approved Meeting Minutes - January 27, 2021

If you are looking to access previous meeting minutes, please contact us.

Ukrainians have played a significant role in shaping Canadian society since 1891, and have been active members of Toronto’s Catholic community for more than a century. The Eastern Rite Ukrainian Catholic schools have been an integral part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) since 1963, the year St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral School joined the Board.

When the Heritage Language Program was founded in the 1970’s, the Ukrainian language program at St. Josaphat School was integrated with this initiative. Subsequently, St. Demetrius and Josyf Cardinal Slipyj were added to the Board, growing its Eastern Rite Ukrainian Catholic population at these three elementary schools alone to more than 1,000 students.

The Ukrainian Canadian Community pioneered full-day kindergarten in the Ukrainian Eastern Rite Catholic schools for 50 years before it was rolled out across the entire province of Ontario in the mid-2010’s. Throughout the history of all three schools, staff and administration have fostered a history of academic excellence within a Ukrainian Eastern Rite Catholic framework, which has included Ukrainian language instruction, as well as the integration of Ukrainian Eastern Rite culture into a Catholic learning environment.

Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Month (September) and Day (September 7) at the TCDSB were proclaimed and first celebrated in 2018. It was during this inaugural Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Month that the Board of Trustees approved a motion to create a Ukrainian Canadian Advisory Committee at the TCDSB.

The Ukrainian Advisory Committee shall advise the Board of Trustees and staff of the TCDSB to advance equitable education practices that are responsive to the diversity of students of Ukrainian ancestry, fostering greater student achievement and success.

1. Engagement and consultation with the greater Ukrainian community to make recommendations and advocate for the allocation of funds to implement identified programs and services that support student success in the Ukrainian Heritage context.

2. Support of Ukrainian Canadian TCDSB students and families in nurturing their Eastern Rite Ukrainian Catholic faith through a meaningful relationship between home, school and parish.

3. Further support and enhancement of Ukrainian heritage, language, history, culture and arts among the many different ethno-cultural groups represented within the TCDSB.

4. Advocacy for excellence in student achievement within a Ukrainian Eastern Rite framework in a Catholic school environment as supported by the effective delivery of the aforementioned objectives.

5. Further support of Ukrainian Canadian heritage and contribution to Canada through inclusion in the curriculum.

6. Acting as an advisory committee on matters relevant to the Ukrainian Canadian learning community within the TCDSB.

*Caveat: all committees must work under the purview and legislation of the Ministry of Education and TCDSB policies and procedures

The Advisory Committee shall have a TCDSB Chairperson and a TCDSB staff liaison to ensure due process, leadership and effective functioning of the Committee's responsibilities.

The Ukrainian Canadian Advisory Committee shall be comprised of members from the TCDSB and the greater community. (Maximum of 13 members.)

Voluntary membership on this committee must be mindful of gender representation, Ukrainian-speaking background, and include:

Group A (the Toronto Catholic District School Board, staff and current students) as follows (6 max.):

1. Appointed Superintendent (Currently Superintendent of Indigenous Education, Equity, and Community Relations (1).

2. Community Relations Officer (1).

3. Trustee representative appointed annually.

4. One current TCDSB student or alternate selected from the Catholic Student Student​ Leadership Impact Team (CSLIT) (1).

5. Teacher or instructor from the Eastern Rite Schools (1).

6. An administrator from Eastern Rite Schools (1).

Group B (the Eastern Rite school – church community as follows (4 maximum):

7. One member of the Ukrainian Eastern Rite clergy of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto (1).

8. One or more parents, up to a maximum of three, who has/had children of Ukrainian heritage in the TCDSB system (3).

Group C (the Ukrainian Canadian Community at large)

9. A maximum of three community members from any of the following groups (3):

   1. Post-secondary student(s) (i.e., undergraduate, graduate, doctoral candidate).

   2. Representatives of education-related community organizations such as the Ukrainian Canadian School Board, the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League, Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood and other education-related organizations recognized by the TCDSB and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress as bona fide organizations whose values align with the values of the TCDSB.

   3. Alumni of the TCDSB and specifically the Eastern Rite Catholic schools.

1. Communications department sends notice to the TCDSB Community.

2. Indigenous Education, Equity, and Community Relations department receives applications and starts review process with assigned superintendent and TCDSB staff and makes recommendations to the Board.

3. Board of Trustees appoints new members.

The members are appointed for a maximum of 2 terms, a term being 3 years, by the Board of Trustees. An extension may be approved, if needed, to support transition of new members and ensure the functioning of the Committee. Appointed committee members contribute by developing meeting agendas and following up with action items and regularly attending meetings.

1. An appointed member wishing to terminate membership shall put their request in writing with 30 days’ notice to the Chairperson.

2. The Committee shall develop a mechanism by which to review an appointed member’s performance and terminate their membership for diverse reasons, including absenteeism, conflict of interest, and/or other behavior that violates the TCDSB Code of Conduct.

The Committee shall meet at least four times per year or more frequently at the discretion of the Chair. Quorum for committee meetings will be 50% plus one of committee members. The appointed Committee members and the TCDSB Community Relations Officer may have ad hoc meetings to follow up on action items and coordinate future advocacy efforts.

The members of the Advisory Committee shall be accountable to the TCDSB for the effective performance of their role and responsibilities. The work of the advisory committee shall be summarized in the TCDSB’s Annual Report on the Work of TCDSB Advisory Committees.

Ericka Aguilera
Community Relations Officer
Phone: 416-222-8282 ext. 2586
Email: ericka.aguileramorales@tcdsb.org