English school board elections delayed by pandemic, premier says

School boardelections have been delayed in Quebec's English network due to the pandemic.

Quebec Premier Franois Legault made the announcement during Wednesday's news briefing, but could not say when the elections will instead be held.

Elections were scheduled for Nov. 1, but the majority of candidates have already been acclaimed.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education says all candidates who were acclaimed will still be able to take their seat on November 6. If a seat is contested, the incumbent will remain in their position until an election is held.

However, there are a few spots that will be left up to the voters, and several others that failed to attract a candidate.

Russell Copeman, the executive director of the Quebec English School Boards Association (QESBA), said he is pleased with the announcement, but there are still technicalities to sort out.

"We are anxious to get more detail from the government of Quebec as soon as that becomes available."

He said QESBA has been pushing for the delay of elections because of the pandemic, but also because ofits opposition to the creationof service centres and the many questions still left unanswered.

Those who have already been acclaimed should be allowed to take their seats, Copeman said.

"We don't need to prolong a period of uncertainty," he said.

Copeman said it is still not clear as to how the province will manage thesix positions that did not attract a candidate. Those vacancies includethe chair of the Central Quebec School Board.

That's only one area where questions remain, said Copeman, as postponement could last for months given the current health crisis.

Earlier this month, the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a suspension of Bill 40, the CAQ government's controversial education reform.

Bill 40, passed in February, changed most school boards into service centres and did away with elections for French-language boards. Elected positions were maintained for the new English-language service centres.