PHONE: 416-871-7888

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1. Why are you the best candidate for trustee?
I am looking for an opportunity to give back to the Willowdale community and a chance to express my commitment to its continued success and growth in the area of education. I bring along experience from being active in various community services during the past 20 years. I bring to this position an understanding of the importance and value of a good education. As a graduate of Business Administration I am currently employed in the investment and finance industry. This will enable me to make more efficient and effective financial policy decisions. Having taught children in public junior high and elementary schools in Japan for five years as allowed me to further develop my passion, care, and understanding for children in the education system.

2. What changes would you like to see at the school board in the next four years?
I would like to see more transparency and efficient ways in which school board policy is made and conducted. There are too many grey areas and especially financial decisions which are not made public knowledge. A lot of meetings start at 4:30pm and therefore working parents are not able to attend. Why not have these meetings start 7pm. There is also a lot of bickering and hot air conducted at board meetings and not enough quality decision making done. There also should be more input time for participative question and answers from parents.

3. What is your position on the TDSB consolidating under-enrolled schools and selling off closed school properties?
I do not believe in selling off old schools. Even with the decline in student enrolment and tight government funding it will be hard and nearly impossible to re-build schools again in these areas when needed in the future. Due to the constant scarcity of land and the construction boom in Toronto once the school land is sold off it will be redeveloped into new residential or commercial properties. In the worst case scenario the number of classes could be trimmed and surplus teachers relocated to other schools. If schools were forced to close the buildings should be leased or rented out to companies that provide services such as daycare or community centres.

4. Do you support the province’s decision to try to negotiate two-year, no wage increase contracts with the school board’s unionized employees when existing agreements expire?
I believe that in these tough economic times where there is a high unemployment rate it is fair for the government to negotiate a 2-year wage freeze with the school board’s unionized employees when existing agreements expire. Teachers’ wage increase should be based on the rate of yearly inflation. The salary renumeration policy should be more in line with the private sector.

5. Please provide personal details on your bio.
I am a Chinese-Canadian and was raised and educated in the Toronto school system. I have been a proud resident of Willowdale for over 30 years and graduated from Ryerson University in Business Administration. Upon graduation I worked in the financial industry for Royal Bank of Canada and TD Waterhouse an currently working for Dundee Wealth Inc. Have been active in volunteer and community service since age 21 with various organizations such as the Canadian Multicultural Council Asians in Ontario, Asia-Pacific Consultative Police committee, Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Chinese Business Association, and Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre. It gives me great satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in helping and recognizing people in the community.