June 27, 2025
Mr John Ryan, Chair of the New Frontiers School Board, stated that never, in all of his years in educational governance, has such a crass move been made by the Quebec Government. These reductions will have a negative impact on the ability of school boards and service centres to provide quality educational services; they jeopardize the success of a generation of students.
At the New Frontiers School Board, negative adjustments could be as high as $4.9 million as indicated in the consultative budget parameters which were received on the morning of June 12, 2025. The Government then gave school boards and service centres approximately 28 hours to react and provide their feedback with an imposed deadline of 4:00 pm on Friday, June 13, 2025. The Government has also forbidden school boards and service centres to access their accumulated surplus and/or adopt a deficit budget. It is expected that these reductions be made within the system, even though the deadline for abolishing positions was mid-May, long before these reductions were made known.
It is also important to note that, at New Frontiers, these cuts are on top of a reduction of more than $510,000 already made between January and March 2025, and a hiring freeze imposed in the fall which remains in place.
This is a desperate time for education in Quebec and the public’s support is needed. If these budget reductions remain in place, your children – our students – will indeed suffer.
English school boards in Quebec are governed by a Council of Commissioners whose members are elected, or appointed, under the Act respecting School Elections.
The territory of the New Frontiers School Board includes 10 divisions, each represented by a commissioner. Our Council also includes our Chair, and four commissioners who represent our parents.
Minutes from our Council meetings are below; should you require minutes from meetings not listed, please contact our Secretary General (secgen@nfsb.qc.ca).
Meetings are open to the public and are normally held on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at HOWARD S. BILLINGS HIGH SCHOOL. Exceptions to the meeting dates are posted in our “Public Notices” section. If you have questions, or need additional information, contact secgen@nfsb.qc.ca
Council meeting dates for the 2024-25 school year, have been set as follows:
2024 – September 3; (October 1 & November 5 – cancelled due to Elections); November 19 (special); December 3.
2025 – February 4; March 11; April 1; May 6; June 3; June 25.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee meets on the second Tuesday of the months of October, December, February, and May. Meetings take place at 4:30 pm. If you have questions, or need additional information, contact secgen@nfsb.qc.ca
John Ryan – jryan@nfsb.qc.ca
Mr Ryan has been an active member of the Council of Commissioners for over 25 years. He has served on the Executive Committee and was the Vice-Chair for several years. In the school elections of November 2024, Mr Ryan was re-elected as Chair.
Division 1 Raymond Ledoux, Vice-Chair
Includes the Town of Lery, and a section of Chateauguay that is described as follows: starting at a point where the Chateauguay River and the municipal border meet in the north-east, this border, Saint-Bernard road, the Chateauguay River and the municipal border back to the starting point; includes Ile Saint-Bernard
Division 2 Karin Van Droffelaar
Includes a section of Chateauguay described as follows: starting at a point where Saint-Bernard road and the north-east municipal border meet, this border, St. Jean-Baptiste Boulevard, St. Francis Boulevard, the Chateauguay River and Saint-Bernard road back to the starting point; includes the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake.
Division 3 Lina Chouinard
Includes a section of Chateauguay described as follows: starting at a point where St. Francis Boulevard and St-Jean Baptiste Boulevard meet, St. Jean Baptiste Boulevard, D’Anjou Boulevard, the Chateauguay River, St-Francis Boulevard back to the starting point.
Division 4 Kenneth Crockett
Includes a section of Chateauguay described as follows: starting at a point where D’Anjou Boulevard and St. Jean Baptiste Boulevard meet, St. Jean Baptiste, the municipal border, the Chateauguay River, and D’Anjou Boulevard back to the starting point.
Division 5 Cristian Espinosa-Fuentes
Includes the City of Mercier, and a section of the City of Chateauguay that is located to the east of St. Jean Baptiste Boulevard.
Division 6 Anne-Marie Yelle
Includes the municipalities of Beauharnois, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield , and St. Etienne de Beauharnois.
Division 7 Dianne Eastwood
Includes the municipalities of Sainte Martine, St Urbain-Premier, Saint-Chrysostome, Sainte-Clothilde, Saint-Patrice-de-Sherrington, Havelock, Hemmingford and Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle. Also includes a section of the municipality of Saint-Cyprien-de-Napierville that is located east of Autoroute 15 and is within the territory of the School Board.
Division 8 Peter Stuckey
Includes the municipalities of Howick, Ormstown, Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague and Très-Saint-Sacrement.
Division 9 Barbara Ednie
Includes the municipalities of Elgin, Hinchinbrooke, and Franklin.
Division 10 – Connor Stacey
Includes the municipalities of Saint-Anicet, Sainte-Barbe, Dundee, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, and the Mohawk Territory of Akwesasne.
Commissioners representing parents…
at the elementary level: Lorne Ferguson
at the secondary level: Kenneth Bernard
of students with special needs: Brenda Bourdeau
at large: Jennifer Largan