Donica LeBlanc is running for School Board Trustee for the Lakehead District School Board in Thunder Bay.
Before retiring, Donica (she/her) worked in education for 33 years in various roles; teacher, Vice Principal, Principal, Supervising Principal, and Special Education Officer. Her first years were spent working in outlying communities; the remainder were with Lakehead Public Schools. The experience in outlying communities supported her in developing an understanding of the educational needs of the Indigenous People. She has been part of many committees, for example, the Early Childhood Education Committee at Confederation College, a member of the Board Of Directors at Communities Together for Children and the Lakehead University Achievement Program Committee. She has two children who went through the Lakehead Public School System and Lakehead University and are now contributing to the healthcare workforce in Thunder Bay. Donica believes that with her diverse background in Education, she can be a strong voice for the community.
Why are you running for this position?
I am running for this position so that I can work with the community to be a positive voice for education.
What innovative projects would enhance life in your municipality?
Creating a forum for a diverse group of youth to co-create a plan for the future of our municipality. Identify the issues based on evidence, develop a plan and create actionable goals with an implementation plan. By involving the youth, you are building ownership and hope in the future and in our beautiful city.
If you received a $1 million grant to use for your municipality any way you wanted, what would you do with it?
This would take more than a million, but I would begin the plan mentioned in the last question and start the process to create more facilities to support drug addiction and mental health in our municipality. I would work with the other municipalities to co-facilitate such a plan.
What do you think are the greatest challenges your municipality faces?
Our community desperately requires services to support mental health and drug addiction. We need to work together as a community to educate constituents on these topics and also drug prevention programs for the youth and their families. We could be a hub for the region by providing a facility that supports more mental health options.
Other than the official ways of communicating (minutes, municipal notes), how else will you reach out to your constituents to involve them in the decision making process?
People of all ages are using technology to communicate and so I have tried to stay as techno-savvy as possible in order to keep up with the times! I would communicate through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. I would also make sure constituents have various means to contact me so that I am accessible to support the community and those who may not be comfortable using technology or have access to technology. Holding Town Hall meetings in person or by zoom could also be a viable means of communication.
What is your favourite thing to do in your municipality?
I love hiking and Thunder Bay and the outlying areas have some of the most amazing places to hike!
Why do you think it’s important for women to be represented in civic leadership, including on committees, boards and municipal councils?
It is important for women to be presented on the School Board so there is a balance of gender representation. By having women as board members, we demonstrate that women have a voice in education and we act as role models for staff and students.
What does a ‘feminist city’ mean to you?
A 'feminist city' is a city where women are equally represented in all roles and get equal pay for equal work. Also, where womans' voices are heard and respected.
Please identify the most critical policy, project, or initiative in your platform that addresses systemic barriers faced by women in your municipality, and describe why:
Teaching is historically a women-dominated profession and so I feel there are a few important initiatives here. One initiative: ensuring committees and negotiations have a strong female representation. Another initiative: considering the female voice in the schools. Are female youth represented on school council, in sports and clubs etc.? It would be interesting to do some evidence-based research in schools so that we can analyze the statistics to see how well we are doing in this area as a school board and develop next steps.
