I live in a smaller city in Manitoba where I an absolutely going to vote, as all the current trustees are very conservative and anti-lgbtq. They set policies and budgets and essentially steer the local school divisions. The one at my city recently attempted to make at least one literally illegal policy, so that's fun.

If it's like BC School Trustees are a small part of School Board meetings and they vote on things and serve on committees.

Always be suspicious of people who run for School Trustee and don't have kids in the system or a connection to teaching/administration of schools.

Might have to run yourself as they are usually very few candidates.

School trustees have a substantial amount of power through the school board. Collectively, trustees control everything from budgets to curriculum tweaks, as well as having power over the superintendent, including firing them.

Hanover school division has had trustees flexing their power recently to attack LGBT+ students, for example.

That being said, I only have 3 trustees running in my ward (3 are elected, they are all incumbents), none of them have platforms, and none of them will respond to emails. So I'm not voting for any of my trustees, not because of a lack of importance, but because I have no reasonable candidates.

My belly lint is clumping again. And it smells of cheese. No candidate said theyd invent better liquid soap. Fml. I think ill sit it out in protest again.