Bruce Yu

🇨🇦

[Stephen Lecce @Sflecce]

Nothing says "change" like bringing back Justin Trudeau's top confidant and chief Minister to import the very policies that cost Canada hundreds of thousands of jobs, drove up costs for families, undermined our global reputation and national unity.

We cannot afford Trudeau 2.0.

[Weidong Pei 🇨🇦 DDS, PhD @DrPeiTO]

This morning, I officially filed nomination papers to be your next @TDSB Trustee in Ward 4 - York Centre & Willowdale.

I am committed to standing up for Toronto families and ensuring the board stays focused on what truly matters most: student achievement and wellbeing.

[Garry Tan @garrytan]

I don’t understand why she is still a professor at Stanford

[Ontario PC Party @OntarioPCParty]

What an incredible weekend at the 2026 Ontario PC Party Convention.

From powerful conversations to well-earned volunteer recognition, delegates from across the province came together with one clear purpose: Protect Ontario.

Thank you for the energy and enthusiasm! 💙

[Bruce Yu @_bruceyu]

The #TDSB’s admissions lottery for specialized programs is now finally behind us.

I have been proud to be a part of this fight for over three years. Please see my statement below:

[Bruce Yu @_bruceyu]

I spoke to @TorontoStar about the IB Programme: the benefits it brings for post-secondary learning but more importantly, the harm caused by the @TDSB admissions lottery.

Students deserve better.

https://t.co/YzaquJULm6

[Dale Chu @Dale_Chu]

“Equity grading is not leveling the playing field. It is simply lowering standards so that school districts look like they are meeting kids where they are, when in fact they are hiding their failures…”

[Robert Kolosowski @R_Kolosowski]

As Richmond Hill families prepare for to go back-to-school, here are the top priorities I will be focused on during the 2025-2026 school year.

[Yiatin Chu @ycinnewyork]

Mamdani’s short list for NYC school chancellor confirms that he will be DeBlasio 2.0. NYC schools will be governed through the lens of racial segregation. You can bet they will tear down merit based opportunities in favor of lowering the bar for equity.

[Tasha Kheiriddin 🇨🇦🇬🇱🇺🇦 @TashaKheiriddin]

The Rosedale Heights School Advisory thanks @TDSB Supervisor Rohit Gupta for respecting the views of parents and students and reinstating Barrie Sketchley as Principal of RHSA for the 2025-2026 school year. Here is our statement:
#savesketchley

[Robert Benzie @robertbenzie]

NEW: Ford government will appeal the ruling. “We were elected by the people of Ontario with a clear mandate to restore lanes of traffic and get drivers moving by moving bike lanes off of major roads to secondary roads.”

[National Post @nationalpost]

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked audio of CBC disciplinary meeting with former TV host Travis Dhanraj

https://t.co/4jWMsRQ9cG

[Michael Parsa @MichaelParsa]

Great to see everyone at Trustee Robert Kolosowski's meet-and-greet this evening.

Thank you to Robert and his team for hosting this opportunity for the community to come together!

[Fair For All @fairforall_org]

“𝘙𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘖𝘫𝘰-𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘴𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥’𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 “𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥” 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘋𝘌𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘐𝘯 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺, 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴.” – @_bruceyu in this week’s FAIR Article, 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱.

🌐Read full article at: ➡️🔗 https://t.co/mNsZZzcRNW

[Fair For All @fairforall_org]

Two years ago on July 13th, Richard Bilkszto tragically died by suicide. This week, we commemorate his death by continuing to tell his story.

🗞️In this week’s Fair Article ─── 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱, @_bruceyu tells us how when Toronto’s public schools replaced excellence with equity, students paid the price, and one educator lost everything.

👓𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 ⬇️

Hard work makes the dream work.

That was once the guiding belief in Toronto’s schools. But in May 2022, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) took a decisive step away from that principle. Trustees passed a new admissions policy that eliminated merit-based selection for specialized high school programs, replacing it with a lottery system.

These specialized programs, ranging from dance and drama to intensive STEM pathways, offered students from all backgrounds the chance to excel. For many, they were a passport to opportunity: a nominally priced gateway to the same International Baccalaureate (IB) program found in elite private schools.

In one fell swoop, all of that changed. No more auditions for arts programs, no more math exams for STEM. Instead of demonstrating talent or academic excellence, students would now wait to see if they were randomly selected.

The board framed this as a move toward equity. In practice, it crushed the aspirations of countless young people.

Now, a straight-A student who excelled in every science test has no greater chance of entering a program than a peer who barely passed. By ignoring readiness, the system sets students up to fail—dropping out of programs too demanding for their current level, eroding their confidence, and forcing teachers to dilute their curriculum.

Worst of all, those who truly earned their place may never know it. Instead of being told, “You worked hard, and you made it,” they’re told they simply got lucky.

No one wins—except the DEI activists who looked at the racial composition of these programs and concluded that merit must be the problem.

Even the data used to justify this experiment is questionable. The school board has shown little regard for transparency or evidence. When a provincial letter forced them to revisit their admissions policy and launch a consultation process, the board’s top superintendent downplayed public input. At a committee meeting, he declared that “responsiveness isn’t necessarily reflective of the loudest voices or the majority of voices”—a troubling admission that some opinions matter more than others.

This wasn’t the first time the TDSB ignored clear evidence. When staff recommended banning school resource officers (SROs), the data showed that 57% of students felt safer with an SRO present, and 76% of parents agreed. Still, the board chose ideology over safety, citing a vague “discriminatory impact.”

The consequences of this mindset are not abstract.

My late friend Richard Bilkszto, a retired principal and beloved member of FAIR For All, was a fierce opponent of the lottery system. But more than that, he became a tragic example of what happens when identity politics goes unchecked.

In 2021, the TDSB hired Kike Ojo-Thompson, a DEI consultant, to lead professional development sessions for principals. When Richard—drawing on his experience teaching in Buffalo, NY—suggested that Canada was not as racist as the U.S., Ojo-Thompson berated him, labeling him an “apologist.” At a subsequent session, she held up his comments as an example of what needed to be “called out.”

Richard never recovered from the ordeal. He took his own life in July 2023, overwhelmed by the stress and public humiliation.

Rather than reflect, Ojo-Thompson’s firm responded with defiance. Fearing government contracts might be at risk, they issued a statement warning that Richard’s death could be “weaponized” to discredit DEI work. In effect, they argued that questioning their methods, even after a tragedy, was dangerous.

Two years later, the TDSB still refuses to release its “independent” investigation into the events that led to Richard’s death. It seems the board has taken its cues from Yes, Minister: when in doubt, bury the report. Perhaps the findings are too damning for a board that devotes more time to debating whether “co-ed” is a discriminatory term than fixing plummeting student math scores.

But the province did act. In the months following Richard’s death, Ontario introduced new regulations requiring school boards to publicly disclose the names and topics of guest speakers.
It’s a small but meaningful legacy, and a tragic reminder of the real human cost of dogma.

In the wake of Richard’s passing, a group of us founded Friends of Richard Bilkszto, a registered Canadian charity that awards an annual scholarship in his name. Our mission is to ensure that his memory—and the ideals he stood for—are never forgotten.

We all want schools that are safe, inclusive, and welcoming. But DEI programs as they exist today do the opposite. They divide students, undermine educators, and cast suspicion where there is none.

Richard believed in something better. So do we.

– 𝙀𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚

📭 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳'𝘴 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘳𝘭𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘹. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴.𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭●𝘰𝘳𝘨

📝 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴@𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭●𝘰𝘳𝘨

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘭𝘭 or its employees.

[Bruce Yu @_bruceyu]

Thank you to @fairforall_org for the opportunity to write on the sad demise of @TDSB.

When Toronto’s public schools decided to put equity over excellence, students paid the price.

And one educator - my late friend Richard Bilkszto lost everything.

https://t.co/a5NWeVbwfm

[Melanie Paradis @Melanie_Paradis]

I was excited by @Travisdhanraj’s show because he worked hard to book guests with diverse views that actually represented voices across the Canadian political landscape. Then it disappeared. Finally we know why.

[JEFA @JEFA_Canada]

$81K sole source contract to the Kojo Inst. Principal Bilkszto took his own life in the aftermath of attending their DEI sessions. "Note that Purchasing was not aware of this or even received this form until after it was signed and dated by the Assoc.Dir &the Dir." @PaulCalandra

[Paul Calandra @PaulCalandra]

I’m done with school boards that work outside of their mandate and refuse to make the right decisions to support students and teachers in the classroom.

[Paul W Bennett @Educhatter]

Courage and Conviction: Refreshing to see an elected School Trustee calling out the @TDSB for its dysfunctional leadership and bureaucratic excesses. Ty for respecting and standing up for the will of local citizens #ONTed #ONpoli