Candidate lists checked September 2026 against municipal clerk / DDSB certified lists. Confirm on the clerk page before you vote.

Join School Council, or vote for trustee

School Council elections are this month. Trustee voting day is Monday, October 26, 2026 .

Trustee nominations closed Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2 p.m. You cannot file now. You can still vote, ask candidates the questions below, and join School Council this September.

This month: run for (or attend) School Council

  1. Email your principal and ask for the nomination form and the election date. Elections must occur within the first 30 days of the school year.
  2. You qualify if you are a parent of a pupil enrolled at the school (O. Reg. 612/00, s. 4).
  3. Parent members must form the majority. The chair must be a parent who is not a board employee.
  4. Once elected — or even as an attending parent — you can raise motions requesting advance curriculum notice. Sample motion.

DDSB handbook: 2025 SCC Handbook PDF

Which board do I vote for?

Your school-board ballot follows school support on the voters’ list, not which school your child happens to attend this year. Check both:

  • English public → DDSB trustees in your municipality. Seats in 2026: Ajax 2 · Pickering 2 · Whitby 2 · Oshawa 3 · Brock/Scugog/Uxbridge 2.
  • English Catholic → DCDSB. You must be a Catholic school supporter. Seats: Ajax 2 · Pickering 1 · Whitby 2 · Oshawa 2 · Brock/Scugog/Uxbridge 1.
  • French public → Conseil scolaire Viamonde (Erik Lapointe, acclaimed in several Durham municipalities).
  • French Catholic → Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir — confirm acclaimed candidates on your municipal clerk's certified list (names change by sector).

Clarington / Bowmanville / Courtice / Newcastle are not DDSB or DCDSB. Those voters elect Kawartha Pine Ridge (public) or PVNCC (Catholic) trustees.

Where and how to vote

Your municipal clerk runs the election, not the school board. Methods differ: some municipalities use internet/telephone voting; others use in-person polls. A voter notification card in October will show your method, ward, and school support.

Municipality How / when (confirm on clerk site) Election page
Ajax Internet or telephone, Oct 19, 10 a.m. – Oct 26, 8 p.m. elections.ajax.ca · election@ajax.ca · 365-282-VOTE
Pickering See clerk site for poll locations and any alternative voting pickering.ca elections · Who is running
Whitby Voter cards in October; Plan Your Vote for locations whitby.ca/VOTE · Who is running
Oshawa Internet voting Oct 13, 10 a.m. – Oct 26, 8 p.m. Advance help sites Oct 13–23 oshawa.ca elections · vote@oshawa.ca · 905-436-3311
Brock See clerk site townshipofbrock.ca elections
Scugog See clerk site scugog.ca election · Certified candidates
Uxbridge See clerk site uxbridge.ca elections

Provincial: 2026 voters’ guide · DDSB hub: DDSB 2026 elections page

Certified DDSB trustee candidates

From the DDSB certified list (after the August 24, 2026 certification deadline). Names in alphabetical order. This site does not endorse anyone.

Ajax — elect 2

Pickering — elect 2

Whitby — elect 2

Whitby drops from three DDSB seats to two for 2026–30.

  • Michelle Ambrose
  • Jason Arseneault
  • Rob Diamond
  • Kim Downey
  • Will Ellis
  • Manas Khanna
  • Sri Mylavarapu
  • Kimberley Pineau
  • Christopher Price
  • Lynda Yardley

Oshawa — elect 3

Brock / Scugog / Uxbridge — elect 2

The north goes from one DDSB seat to two for 2026–30.

Certified DCDSB trustee candidates

From municipal clerk certified lists. English Catholic supporters only. This site does not endorse anyone.

Ajax — elect 2

Source: Ajax certified candidate PDF

  • Monique Forster
  • Marisa Hall
  • Joanne Hildyard
  • Ronke (Kaye) Macaulay
  • Kylie McAllister

Pickering — elect 1

Source: Pickering Who is running

Oshawa — elect 2

Source: Oshawa registered candidates

Brock / Scugog / Uxbridge — elect 1

Source: Scugog certified candidates. Only one name is certified — that candidate is acclaimed.

  • Richard Damianopoulos

Whitby — elect 2

Use the Town of Whitby certified list (the clerk, not this handbook, is the authority): Who is running.

Questions to ask every trustee candidate

  • Will you support a board procedure that notifies parents before staff use a different name or pronouns for a student?
  • How will you ensure every school meets PPM 162’s 20-school-day notice?
  • Will you vote to post grade-level resource lists and guest-speaker topics in advance?
  • What is your position on age-appropriateness of library materials on sexuality and gender?

Keep it short. Ask in writing so you have their answer.

Why this matters

School Councils give you standing at one school. Trustees set the policy environment for the whole board. For 2026–30, provincial Bill 101 may narrow some trustee governance powers; they remain the people you elect as community representatives. Ask them what they will do with that role.

Check the voters’ list How councils work Current trustees