Peel District School Board (PDSB) is proud to announce the first ever Indigenous Student Trustee Elect, Kawelatsátste (Austin Chrisjohn) from Erindale Secondary School and a member of the Oneida of the Thames First Nation. The creation of this role, increased the number of PDSB student trustees from two to three. Including an Indigenous student who self-identifies as First Nations, Metis or Inuit, is the result of a motion that was approved by the board of Trustees in January of 2023.
PDSB is committed to Indigenous Educational Sovereignty, reconciliation and recognizes the importance of representation. Austin's platform aims to support the priorities and needs of First Nation, Métis and Inuit students in the PDSB and ensure their sovereignty and rights are being upheld.
The Indigenous Student Trustee Elect will be inducted at a later date alongside the other Student Trustee Elects, Justin Ko from The Woodlands Secondary School and Pradwit Thapa from Mississauga Secondary School.