Ottawa voters elect new school board trustees across four boards
Ottawa voters chose trustees for the OCDSB, OCSB, CEPEO and CECCE on October 26. Many incumbents held on, while a handful of new faces joined the OCDSB as the board remains under provincial supervision.
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Ottawa voters chose school board trustees for all four school boards on October 26. The Ottawa Citizen reported the results zone by zone, drawn from the City of Ottawa's unofficial count.
The vote covered the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB), the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO) and the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE).
OCDSB: Trustees elected, but still without authority
All 12 OCDSB zones were contested. Two incumbents, Jennifer Jennekens in Zone 7 and Julia Fortey in Zone 2, were re-elected. Four of the eight candidates who ran under a shared statement of principles aimed at restoring local governance were elected: John MacCrae (Zone 1, 61.8%), Emily Quaile (Zone 4, 78.1%), Keelin Pringnitz (Zone 10, 47.4%) and Cathy Varrette (Zone 12, 70%).
However, the Ottawa Citizen reported that newly elected OCDSB trustees will hold no official meetings, receive no pay and have no formal responsibilities while the board remains under provincial supervision. The province had not said when it would reinstate the trustees.
Here are all 12 elected OCDSB trustees, with vote share:
- Zone 1: John MacCrae, 61.8%
- Zone 2: Julia Fortey, 66.1%
- Zone 3: Brenda Abramson, 43.7%
- Zone 4: Emily Quaile, 78.1%
- Zone 5: Lara Bremner, 46.8%
- Zone 6: Jennifer Moroziuk, 40.2%
- Zone 7: Jennifer Jennekens, 60.8%
- Zone 8: Rick Bédard, 62.8%
- Zone 9: Hilary Clauson, 65.2%
- Zone 10: Keelin Pringnitz, 47.4%
- Zone 11: Alan Riddell, 49.7%
- Zone 12: Cathy Varrette, 70%
OCSB: Five zones were acclaimed
Five of 10 Ottawa Catholic School Board zones had only one candidate, so those five trustees were acclaimed without a vote. Spencer Warren (Zone 4), Eugene Milito (Zone 6) and Jeremy Wittet (Zone 7) were re-elected incumbents. Cameron Bonesso won Zone 10 with 56.5% against incumbent Cindy Desclouds-Simpson, who had won the same race in 2022.
CEPEO: Mathieu Fleury wins with 87.6%
In the seven Ottawa zones of the French public board, Mathieu Fleury won Zone 10 with 87.6% of the vote. Fleury served as the Rideau-Vanier city councillor for more than a decade before leaving municipal politics in 2022. Incumbents were re-elected in five of the seven zones.
CECCE: Three trustees acclaimed
Three French Catholic school board trustees were acclaimed in Ottawa zones: Dan Boudria (Zone 8), Johanne Lacombe (Zone 9) and André J. Thibodeau (Zone 11). Isabelle Gervais won Zone 10 with 86.2%.
These are unofficial results. The City Clerk declares the official results under section 55 of Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, 1996. Residents can find full results at /on/ottawa-2026/results.
Questions this story answers
Who was elected to the OCDSB in Zone 1?
John MacCrae won Zone 1 with 61.8 per cent of the vote, according to the Ottawa Citizen's report on the October 26 results. The OCDSB covers Ottawa's English public schools. MacCrae was one of eight candidates who ran under a shared statement of principles aimed at restoring local trustee decision-making after the board was placed under provincial supervision.
What does it mean that the OCDSB is under provincial supervision?
Ontario's education ministry placed the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board under provincial supervision before the election. The Ottawa Citizen reported that the newly elected OCDSB trustees will hold no official meetings, receive no pay and have no formal responsibilities until the province decides to reinstate the trustees. All 12 OCDSB zones were still contested on October 26 and trustees were chosen, but they cannot act in their role yet.
Who won the OCSB Zone 10 race?
Cameron Bonesso won Zone 10 of the Ottawa Catholic School Board with 56.5 per cent of the vote, defeating incumbent Cindy Desclouds-Simpson, who received 43 per cent. The Ottawa Citizen described it as a rematch from 2022, when the same two candidates ran and Desclouds-Simpson won by a small margin. Five OCSB zones were acclaimed with no contested vote.
Which trustee won the most votes in Ottawa?
Mathieu Fleury won CEPEO Zone 10 with 87.6 per cent of the vote, the highest share of any contested trustee race covered in the Ottawa Citizen's report. Fleury previously served as the Rideau-Vanier city councillor for more than a decade before stepping away from municipal politics in 2022.
How many Ottawa school board trustees were acclaimed?
At least eight trustees across the four boards were acclaimed, meaning no other candidate filed to run against them. Five OCSB trustees were acclaimed: Scott Phelan (Zone 1), Sandra Moore (Zone 2), Brian Coburn (Zone 3), Joanne MacEwan (Zone 5) and Mark D. Mullan (Zone 8). Three CECCE trustees were also acclaimed: Dan Boudria (Zone 8), Johanne Lacombe (Zone 9) and André J. Thibodeau (Zone 11). The OCDSB and CEPEO races within Ottawa city limits were all contested.
Who won the OCDSB Zone 4 race?
Emily Quaile won OCDSB Zone 4 with 78.1 per cent of the vote, the highest share in the OCDSB. She was one of four candidates elected who had run under the shared statement of principles. The others were John MacCrae in Zone 1, Keelin Pringnitz in Zone 10 and Cathy Varrette in Zone 12.
Are the CECCE and CEPEO French school board results final?
The Ottawa Citizen reported the vote shares for zones falling within Ottawa city limits, drawn from the City of Ottawa's unofficial results. Both the CECCE and CEPEO cover parts of eastern Ontario outside Ottawa as well, so not all of their zones were included in the city's tally. The City Clerk will declare the official results under section 55 of Ontario's Municipal Elections Act, 1996.
Where can I find my child's school board trustee?
Each board divides Ottawa into numbered zones. Once you know which school board your child's school belongs to, you can match your address to the zone number to find your trustee. The results for all four boards are at /on/ottawa-2026/results.
Sources
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