All staff in Chilliwack School District need support, not just teachers: Local Election 2026
Trustee candidate Paul Henderson's answers to CUPE 411 questionnaire – Union represents educational assistants, clerical, custodial, maintenance and transportation staff
September 20, 2026
CUPE 411 was established on Dec. 20, 1965, representing workers in the Chilliwack School District for more than 60 years. The union currently represents approximately 1,100 members in the K-12 sector, according to their website, all of whom are highly skilled and committed professionals in the following five departments/divisions of the Chilliwack School District 33:
• Assistants
• Clerical
• Custodial
• Maintenance
• Transportation
“SD33 is the fastest growing school district in Canada,” according to an email the union sent out with a questionnaire to all Chilliwack School Board candidates.
“It has grown quickly and due to that, the majority of our school sites have portables to try to address the growth. The district has acquired some properties for future growth. They have completed expansions of GW Graham, Sardis Secondary, Chilliwack Secondary and plans are in place for AD Rundle, etc. Even with these expansions, our school sites continue to struggle with meeting the needs of our community. They have also reviewed and rezoned catchment areas to try to balance student enrollment.”
I received the questionnaire four days after filing my nomination papers, on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 15. With the questionnaire came a deadline to respond by 11:59 p.m. on ... Tuesday, Sept. 15, that same day. Not a lot of time to turn around but it is what it is.
With a limit of 100 words per answer, also not a lot of space, but brevity is beautiful. As many people who have answered such questions will know, it's harder to be succinct and accurate than it is to blather on and on. To quote 17th-century French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal in his 1657 work Lettres Provinciale: “Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte,” which translates roughly to, “This is very long because I didn't have time to make it short.”
(Note: A version of this quote is often misattributed to Mark Twain who might have said something similar, but Pascal was around 200 years before him.)
In the email, CUPE 411 president Agnieszka Malecki said the candidates' answers will be shared on their website, on social media and emailed to members. As of Sept. 20 at noon, the answers of all candidates hadn't yet been shared. But here are my <100-word answers.
• Why are you seeking election as a School Trustee, and what experience would you bring to the role? What do you think your role as Trustee is?
“To paraphrase a former trustee: The role is lay the tracks and maintain the rails, but don’t play with the trains.
“To use a hockey metaphor, trustees aren’t coaches or trainers or support staff nor are trustees team owners, they are the general managers. They should make sure everything is running smoothly, tweak policy and budgets where needed, and oversee the success of the team.
“Trustees should listen to parents, students, staff, and advocate for the interests of the entire district, not just a certain school or the pet interest of a certain set of parents.”
• What do you think your role as Trustee is not?
“This question likely arises from the school board candidates and former trustees who don’t seem to understand the role, who want to get involved in provincial government policy, interfere with curriculum and library books, and criticize district staff.
“Two examples of what a trustee should not be doing: One, when former trustee Heather Maahs and Darrel Furgason read at the board table from library books they deemed too lascivious. Two, when Barry Neufeld spent months attacking SOGI 123 irrevocably alienating staff and students in the LGBTQ community.
“Don't play with the trains.
“Don't tell the coach who should be benched.”
• What is your primary reason for running for school Trustee?
“I have been a journalist in Chilliwack for 20 years. I or a colleague have read the agenda and/or attended more than 600 school board and city council meetings. As a reporter, I tended to overlook how much I know.
“The deadline to file papers was Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. At 1:30 p.m. that day, I prepared a story to post at 4 p.m. about with the candidates.
“As I looked at the school board candidates over and over, I paused. With respect, I could only see five electable people.
“So, I figured I should do it.”
Private vs. Public Funding:
• What is your stance on the provincial government allocating public tax dollars to fund private and/or independent schools?
“As a citizen and a parent of children in public schools, I have strong opinions on this topic, in principle.
“Public dollars should not go towards private education, particularly religious-based schools or private schools attended by upper-middle class kids. There is an insidious ideological push towards privatization fostered and fomented by people who fund and run organizations such as the Fraser Institute, which undermines trust in public education with their pernicious school rankings.
“In practice, however, I’ve heard the argument that pulling their funding completely would overwhelm the public system. On that, I admit I need to learn more.”
Violence in Our Schools:
• Education Assistants face physical, mental and emotional violence almost every day. How can you support CUPE Local 411 in addressing student violence?
“I asked Facebook friends what the biggest issues are in education. I was shocked.
“'EAs are leaving in droves because we are abused sometimes daily.'
“'When I left I had a diagnosis of work-related PTSD ... I couldn't function in the daily abuse.'
“'EAs are paid different amounts in each districts even though we are all CUPE.... Chilliwack EAs are making $5-$6 less per hour.'
“Practically speaking as a trustee I am not certain what I can do.
“What I do know I can do is advocate behind the scenes with colleagues at the district and with the provincial government.”
Overcrowding:
• SD33 continues to experience rapid growth and overcrowding. What actions would you take to advocate for additional school space, staffing, and resources?
“While not directly a role of a trustee, I do believe advocacy on behalf of the district with the provincial government is important.
“Cultivating relationships with local MLAs is good, but with 20 years in journalism in the Fraser Valley I know a lot of people from members of the media to former and current elected officials with influence. Advocating more directly with members of the governing party does more than complaining to opposition MLAs.
“But first, trustees need to tour schools, talk to teachers, to students, to EAs, get a handle on the issue then tell their stories.”
Meaningful Inclusion:
• Some students require supports that exceed current staffing and resources. How would you advocate for meaningful inclusion while ensuring the safety and well-being of SD 33 staff?
“This is arguably the most fraught question in education.
“Every student has a right to an education and to be included.
“But what happens when one student out of 28 ruins it for the other 27?
“One BCTF research paper described how teachers support the principle of inclusion while finding themselves caught between that principle and classroom realities.
“An academic study showed that children with disabilities who spend more time in classrooms with peers can still be marginalized. In other words, physical presence ≠ inclusion.
“We should look to best practices elsewhere. There are examples in Alberta, Finland, New Zealand.”
Respite:
• Some students are forced to come to school and spend significant time out of the classroom due to violence. This directly puts our members in harms way. How would you address this issue?
“It's important for anyone running for office – or who is in office – to recognize when they need to ask questions. This topic is one of those for me.
“I have no idea what EAs truly face when there is violence in the classroom and a student is removed, nor do I clearly understand district policy when it comes to physically disruptive behaviour.
“What I do know is that physical touching, even pushing or spitting is assault in the criminal code, which at the very least is something that needs to be explained to all students, parents, teachers, staff.”
Marginalized Groups:
Some CUPE members experience discrimination, harassment, or hate-based behaviour from students, parents, guardians, and/or members of the public. What role should Trustees play in promoting a respectful and inclusive workplaces?
“Trustees can't directly get involved in personnel/labour issues in the workplace, but they can advocate where appropriate.
“More simply, they should model good behaviour at the board table and in communications, both public and private.
“We have seen this in the negative in recent tumultuous years where trustees bring their religious ideology to the board table, share bigoted opinions on social media, even participate in hateful protests on the streets.
“Trustees need to show respect to one another, even those with very different views, follow the Trustee Code of Ethics, and show respect for district staff at all times.”
• How will you ensure that your personal views on sexual orientation do not conflict with or override established Human Rights Codes with respect to our membership’s safety, student safety, curriculum?
“I guess I’m lucky since my personal views on sexual orientation align perfectly with the B.C. Human Rights Code. No member of the LGBTQ community should ever feel unsafe, uncomfortable, unwelcome in any way in any school or district setting of any kind.
“Any anti-LGBTQ behaviour is unacceptable and should be addressed immediately.”
Collaboration:
• How would you ensure that CUPE members have meaningful opportunities to share concerns and perspectives with the Board?
• Do you support meeting with the CUPE Local 411 Executive Board, outside of formal partner meetings, to better understand workplace issues affecting our members?
• Why or why not?
“These three questions feel like they need one answer, so this might be longer than 100 words.
“I strongly believe that Chilliwack School Board trustees need to both spend more time directly meeting with CUPE and CTA members and visiting school sites while also interfering less in the day-to-day activities of those dedicated to educating our children and supporting our school facilities.
“Again, maintain the train tracks, don't play with the trains.
“As I would be a newcomer to the board, I'm not familiar with what already takes place, but it seems like a no-brainer to me for at least a couple of trustees as a consultation team to have regular meetings (maybe public but more likely in camera) with CUPE representatives to discuss issues, problems, complaints, suggestions regarding topics in the board's purview. This could coincide with occasional tours of a school or two led by union reps to see Local 411 members in the workplace and what they face and where.”
Labour Relations:
• What do you believe is the Trustee's role in supporting a respectful and productive relationship between the Board and CUPE Local 411?
“The above questions essentially answers this. There should be one or two or more trustees who regularly meet with a couple of CUPE Local 411 reps who then report back to the full Board and union membership, respectively.”
Bargaining Support:
• During collective bargaining, Trustees ultimately help shape the district’s approach to labour relations. What principles would guide your support for fair and respectful bargaining with CUPE Local 411?
“I’ve not been on the board nor a district employee. I have been both a member of a union an a manager overseeing union bargaining unit members in my career.
“I have, however, never been involved in bargaining on either side of a union labour situation so a nuanced opinion on this would not be particularly informed or useful.
“I do however, believe strongly in the importance of unions, collective bargaining, and the rights of workers to demand fair wages, and reasonable and safe working conditions.”
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Paul J. Henderson
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