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The Renfrew County District School Board (RCDSB) stands accused of a grave injustice in the suspension and termination of teachers Matt and Nicole Alexander in 2023, a case that reeks of ideological overreach and a failure of leadership. The individuals responsible for the governance and administration of the RCDSB, namely trustees Leo Boland, Susan Humphries, Roger Clarke, Kim Dougherty, Mike Guenette, David Kaiser, Karthi Rajamani, Jodie Primeau, and Christina Ruddy, along with executive council members Kristen Niemi, Jennifer Barnes, Jacqueline Poirier, Jenny Smith, Kristin Riddell, Scott Nichol, Renald Cousineau, and Cary Kronwald, bear collective responsibility for this travesty. Their oversight, or lack thereof, allowed a situation to unfold that not only destroyed the careers and livelihoods of two dedicated educators but also exposed the board’s apparent disregard for fundamental rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. While all these individuals share culpability for the board’s policies and culture, particular scrutiny falls on those in roles directly tied to personnel decisions, such as Jacqueline Poirier, Superintendent of Human Resources, and Kristen Niemi, Director of Education, whose positions suggest they played pivotal roles in the actions taken against the Alexanders. This report calls out each of these individuals for their failure to uphold fairness, transparency, and justice, demanding accountability for the harm inflicted on Matt and Nicole Alexander.
The Alexander family case, as documented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, began with Matt Alexander’s suspension on April 17, 2023, over alleged social media posts, despite him having no public accounts. This flimsy pretext suggests a targeted effort to silence him for his personal beliefs, which reportedly conflicted with certain ideological stances on LGBTQ issues. Nicole Alexander faced her own suspension on May 5, 2023, after moving a pride poster in her classroom, an act that triggered a six month investigation, dragging her through bureaucratic purgatory for what appears to be a minor, if not entirely reasonable, action. Both teachers, with unblemished records prior to these events, were unceremoniously terminated on October 26, 2023, a decision that reeks of vindictiveness and a failure to respect their freedom of conscience, a right enshrined in the Canadian Charter. The Alexanders have since filed a human rights complaint against the RCDSB, alleging religious discrimination, and a separate complaint with the Labour Relations Board against the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario for abandoning them in their time of need. The fallout has been catastrophic for the couple, forcing them to sell their family home, lose their pensions, and retrain for new careers, all while enduring public humiliation and financial ruin. This is not just a professional loss but a personal devastation, orchestrated under the watch of the RCDSB’s leadership.
Jacqueline Poirier, as Superintendent of Human Resources, holds a position that likely places her at the heart of the decision to suspend and terminate the Alexanders. Human resources oversees employee relations, investigations, and disciplinary actions, meaning Poirier either directly orchestrated or failed to intervene in the process that led to these firings. Her role demands she ensure fair and lawful treatment of staff, yet the prolonged investigation into Nicole Alexander’s minor act and the questionable basis for Matt Alexander’s suspension suggest a gross mishandling of due process. Kristen Niemi, as Director of Education and Secretary of the Board, carries even greater responsibility, serving as the chief administrative officer who reports to the trustees and oversees the implementation of board policies. Niemi likely had direct knowledge of, and influence over, the decisions to suspend and terminate the Alexanders, making her complicity particularly egregious. Her failure to ensure a transparent and just process reflects a leadership void that allowed this injustice to fester. Jennifer Barnes, as Superintendent of Business, may have had less direct involvement in personnel decisions, but her role in corporate services implicates her in the broader administrative failures that enabled this outcome. The superintendents of education, Jenny Smith, Kristin Riddell, Scott Nichol, Renald Cousineau, and Cary Kronwald, are tasked with program services, which include fostering inclusive school environments. Their oversight of policies related to equity and inclusion likely shaped the environment in which the Alexanders were punished for their beliefs, making them complicit in the board’s heavy handed response.
The trustees, Leo Boland, Susan Humphries, Roger Clarke, Kim Dougherty, Mike Guenette, David Kaiser, Karthi Rajamani, Jodie Primeau, and Christina Ruddy, cannot escape accountability. As the governing body, they are responsible for setting policies and ensuring the board operates within legal and ethical boundaries. Their failure to intervene or demand transparency in the Alexander case, especially given its high profile nature and legal implications, is a dereliction of duty. Susan Humphries, as Vice Chair, holds a leadership role among the trustees, making her inaction particularly damning. The trustees’ collective oversight allowed policies to be weaponized against educators who dared to hold personal beliefs, creating a chilling effect on free expression. Christina Ruddy, as the Indigenous Trustee, represents the board’s commitment to equity, yet her silence on this matter suggests a selective application of that principle. The lack of public discussion in board meetings, including the October 24, 2023, meeting closest to the terminations, indicates that the case was likely handled in closed sessions, shielding the trustees and executives from scrutiny. This opacity is unacceptable and fuels suspicion of a coordinated effort to suppress dissent.
The RCDSB’s actions in this case reflect a broader failure to balance inclusion with individual rights, a failure that rests squarely on the shoulders of the named trustees and executive council members. The Alexanders’ legal actions, supported by lawyer Darren Leung, highlight the board’s alleged violation of their Charter protected freedom of conscience. A recent post on X by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms on July 14, 2025, underscores the ongoing nature of this controversy, noting the terminations and the couple’s fight for justice. The board’s refusal to engage publicly with the case, as evidenced by the absence of any mention in available meeting minutes or recordings, suggests a deliberate attempt to bury the issue. This lack of transparency is a betrayal of the public trust, and every individual named in this report must answer for it. Jacqueline Poirier and Kristen Niemi, given their direct roles in human resources and board leadership, bear the brunt of responsibility for the procedural failures that led to the Alexanders’ ruin. The other superintendents, Jenny Smith, Kristin Riddell, Scott Nichol, Renald Cousineau, and Cary Kronwald, contributed to a culture where ideological conformity trumped fairness. Jennifer Barnes, while less directly involved, failed to ensure corporate accountability. The trustees, Leo Boland, Susan Humphries, Roger Clarke, Kim Dougherty, Mike Guenette, David Kaiser, Karthi Rajamani, Jodie Primeau, and Christina Ruddy, allowed this to happen under their watch, neglecting their duty to uphold justice and protect educators from unfair persecution.
This report demands accountability from all 17 individuals for their roles in the Alexander family case. The RCDSB’s actions have not only harmed two dedicated teachers but also set a dangerous precedent for silencing dissent in education. The ongoing legal battles may yet reveal more about the specific actions of Poirier, Niemi, and others, but for now, their collective failure to prevent this injustice stains their leadership. The public deserves answers, and the Alexanders deserve justice for the destruction of their careers and lives. The trustees and executive council must face the consequences of their inaction and complicity, ensuring that such a miscarriage of justice never happens again under their watch.
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