A Quick Guide to the 2022 VSB Election

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On Saturday, October 15, 2022, Vancouverites will cast their votes for Vancouver’s next mayor, councillors, and park board. We will also be voting for the nine future school trustees who will make up the Vancouver Board of Education (“VBE”), and as the 2022 municipal election inches closer, the importance of understanding exactly what this entails grows. 

The Vancouver School Board (“VSB”) is a localized body that manages the public school system across District 39. The VBE, composed of nine locally-elected trustees, is the governing body of the VSB district, and has the responsibility of decision making in accordance with both its local communities’ outlooks and the guidelines set by the Ministry of Education (“MoE”). These trustees appoint one Board Chair, who takes on the role of spokesperson and runs VBE meetings. 

The primary functions of VBE trustees are outlined by The School Act, and their general role is to maintain a focus on students’ best interests and determine what is most beneficial for District 39 as a whole. Trustees set local policy in order for effective district operations, and are responsible for hiring and establishing employment conditions for the necessary staff to put these operations underway. They must hear appeals from parents and students who occupy their district, and work to implement policies and changes in accordance with stakeholders’ concerns. 

The VBE also handles the district’s finances, and prepares and approves the VSB’s budgets and capital plans. This function plays a hand in the creation of a strategic plan, which connects the resources in the district’s budget and the district’s prioritized goals for the public school system.

One Superintendent of Schools is appointed and hired by the VBE, and acts as the ‘CEO’ of the VSB. The Superintendent heads the District Management Team, is responsible for the administration of all educational programs, operates schools in the District, and directs VSB staff. They are also tasked with carrying out the strategic plan put in place. The VBE oversees the Superintendent, who provides the trustees with regular updates, ensuring the strategic plan is properly implemented.

Vancouver’s public education system is a co-governance institution, as the VSB engages in a co-governance relationship with the Ministry of Education (“MoE”). Under Section 93 of The Constitution Act, provincial governments have the jurisdiction to enact laws surrounding education, granting provinces the position to govern public education. The MoE sets the general structure for education in the province of British Columbia, preparing and approving the curriculum, the funding districts receive, and the legal framework. The VBE’s decisions must be in accordance with what has been established by the MoE.

This October, residents and property owners who meet the voter eligibility requirements have the opportunity to cast their vote on who should make up the next VBE. Eligible voters must: be 18 years of age or older on the day of the election, be a Canadian citizen, have lived in British Columbia for at least six months before the day they register, and live in Vancouver (although there is no minimum time requirement). Permanent residents who have not yet become Canadian citizens and individuals who have been disqualified from voting by law cannot vote. 

Vancouverites must ensure that they will receive their Voter Information Cards by registering or updating their information with Elections BC. This must be done before Monday, August 15, 2022. Those who have voted in the 2020 BC provincial election are automatically on Vancouver’s voting list and do not require registration. 

There are many ways to vote! Advanced Voting Opportunities are scheduled for October 1, 5, 8, 11, and 13 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Requests to vote by mail ballot open up on September 6. The general voting time will take place on October 15, starting at 8:00 AM and closing at 8:00 PM. The Chief Electoral Officer is set to declare results at a point in time between the close of the general election and Wednesday, October 18th at 4:00 pm.