Robbie Brydon: Candidate for ward 1 & 2 trustee: The residents will be lucky and well served if he is elected

There are eight candidates.

Of the eight six live in Burlington

Of that six, three live in either ward 1 or 2

Robbie Brydon: Candidate for the Halton District School Board Burlington ward 1&2 seat.

They are:  Robie Brydon, Ross Montgomery and Daniel Warren Oke

While many think the school board trustees are small potatoes – if they do their jobs they can have a significant impact.

Education is directed by the Ministry of Education.  They call the shots and local trustees have to abide by whatever the province requires them to do.

Many Boards of Trustees cave into the Ministry of Education – but it doesn’t have to be that way.  Former Chair of the HDSB  Trustee, Andrea Grebenc showed what can be done.  She managed to become a focal point for many trustees across the province who wanted to take on the Ministry of Education.

Of the three candidates that should be considered there is one that is outstanding.

Why anyone who does not live in the ward, know the landscape, understand the needs of the parents and actually knows where the schools are located seat would run for a seat on the Board of Trustees is beyond me.

Anyone who lives in the Region can run for a Burlington seat.

Online voting took place the week of May 15, the advance polls are open today, May 24. Election Day is Monday, May 29.

This stuff matters.  By now parents should know that – they were the ones who had to put up with their children being home during the pandemic.

They were the ones who had to deal with teachers that were not prepared to handle virtual classrooms and attempt to manage their households when classes were on, then they were virtual then they were back on.

Don’t blame the teachers – they had no idea what they were going to have to do day to day.

It was chaotic and to some degree parents are still dealing with the damage the pandemic did to the way educations are delivered.

The Halton District has to members who have earned doctorates – hard to see all that much in the way of value to the public from those two.

There is one trustee who serves her ward exceptionally well – she should give serious consideration to running for a seat on city council.

Some of the trustees have been trustees for far too long.

To the candidates:

Daniel Warren Oke does not appear to understand what trustees can and cannot do.  He has a personal agenda that includes support for the Convoys that shut down the nation’s capital for the best part of two week.  I question is ability to work collaboratively with fellow trustees and Board staff

Robert Montgomery has no public experience; he is just out of high school and wants to represent the student voice.  The Halton Board already has student voices sitting with the trustees.  Those student voices are chosen by high school students from across the Region – some of those who have served in the past have done superb job.

Robbie Brydon brings a truckload of experience to the job.

Research Coordinator

McMaster University

Sep 2017 – Present5 years 9 months

Department of Health, Aging & Society
• Project lead for income and health research project: Develop and execute scoping review of all articles on cash transfers and health in high-income countries. Develop research project to explore effect of Canadian cash transfers (child benefits, OAS, disability) on health.
• Coordinator for evaluation of Ontario Basic Income Pilot, contributing to study design, data analysis and project management
Homeward Trust Edmonton

Manager, Data & Analytics

• Oversee data management/analysis and evaluation of funded agencies, leading a team of four
• Develop integrated model to forecast caseload and budget
• Brief senior leadership on policy and advocacy implications of research and evaluation findings

Research and Evaluation Analyst

• Execute evaluation framework by writing program to produce dashboard results from database
• Process results of 2014 point-in-time homeless count and write report for broad public consumption

Lead Consultant, Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment

Mercy Corps

Nigeria

• Develop methodology in consultation with staff and stakeholders
• Hire, train and manage field staff

Engineers Without Borders Canada

Karamoja, Uganda

• Coach field staff and management on market facilitation methodology and implementation
• Support staff in gathering, managing and analyzing data
• Help adopt, adapt and create profitable pro-poor business models

Research Intern

C. D. Howe Institute

Manage large databases and conduct econometric analysis
Author and co-author policy papers based on analyses
Provide research support to colleagues for presentations and publications
Research topics include: income support programs, housing prices and credit, patent regulation, school quality, apprenticeship regulation, business cycle indicators and trade in services

Research Analyst

Ministry of Infrastructure, Ontario Public Service

Construct inter-jurisdictional comparison of infrastructure investment
Research details of each jurisdiction’s figures to assess and present level of comparability

Consultant, Evaluations of UNICEF’s Programme and Work in Relation to Adolescents

Kartini International

Design and administer surveys in English and French
Code and analyze qualitative and quantitative results
Interview UNICEF country representatives, partners and staff

Education

McMaster University

Master of Arts (M.A.)Economic Policy

University of Toronto

Honours Bachelor of ArtsEconomic / International DevelopmentWith high distinction

Languages

• English
• French

Brydon has been door to door canvasing and meeting the people he wants to represent.  The residents of wards 1&2 would be lucky to have Brydon speaking for them.

Related news stories:

Robbie Brydon

Daniel Warren Oke

The Gazette was not able to reach Ross Montgomery.

There is a news story on Montgomery here

Salt with Pepper is the musings, reflections and opinions of the publisher of the Burlington Gazette, an online newspaper that was formed in 2010 and is a member of the National Newsmedia Council.