Durham school board considering changing name of Julie Payette PS
Posted February 4, 2021 4:19 pm.
Last Updated February 4, 2021 4:54 pm.
The Durham District School Board says it’s considering changing the name of Julie Payette Public School after a damning report found she mistreated past and current employees at Rideau Hall.
Payette resigned as Canada’s Governor General last month after an independent review following allegations she yelled at, belittled and publicly humiliated employees, reducing some to tears or prompting them to quit.
A statement from the school board says discussions are currently underway and no decisions have been made.
“The Durham District School Board will be considering updates to its school naming policy in the coming months. In the meantime, we will be discussing the recent news with the School Community Council to gather further input on [the] next steps,” read the statement emailed to 680 NEWS.
Julie Payette Public School is located in Whitby and serves students in Kindergarten through Grade 8.
On its website, Julie Payette PS says of the now-former Governor General, “Julie Payette is a strong Canadian role-model; her contributions have been great. In 2000, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. Ms. Payette was granted an honorary doctorate by the University of Alberta in 2006, and one at the University of British Columbia in 2010; she holds 18 honorary degrees in total.”
Payette resigned from the post on Jan. 21 – a first for a Governor General – apologizing for the tensions at Rideau Hall in the last several months, but she also suggested she disagreed with the characterizations of her leadership. She also suggested the move was made for personal reasons, citing her father’s declining health.
“So it is with sureness and humility, but also with pride over what was accomplished during my tenure as Governor General and in my service to the country for the past 28 years, that I have submitted my resignation,” she wrote.
