After legal pressure, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board on May 26 passed a motion to reverse its 'unconstitutional' ban on recording its meetings.
KITCHENER, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) -- A Canadian Catholic school board has reversed its ban on the recording of its board meetings after legal pressure from one of Canada’s top constitutional groups.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) on May 26 passed a motion that reversed its “unconstitutional” ban on allowing recordings of its meetings, as a direct result of intervention from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) and pro-life advocate Jack Fonseca.
The WCDSB had been warned via a legal letter on February 24, 2025, that its ban on photos or audio recordings of its public meetings was “unconstitutional” and possible legal action could ensue should the ban not be reversed.
During the May 26 board meeting, Trustee Conrad Stanley cited the JCCF’s legal warning as one of the main factors in discussing lifting the ban.
Hatim Kheir, Constitutional lawyer with the JCCF noted, “We are pleased to see that the trustees have come through and made a decision to protect the freedom of expression of the public in the Waterloo Region and foster democratic accountability in the school board.”
Fonseca is a resident of the Waterloo region and serves as the director of political operations for Campaign Life Coalition (CLC). He had attended a WCDSB public meeting on January 27, as he did “many” times before.
However, at this meeting, Fonseca, when he took out his phone to take a picture, was told by security he was allowed to take only one photo.
“Security then said he would not be allowed to record video or audio in the public meeting; if he tried to do so, he would be ejected,” the JCCF noted.
“Mr. Fonseca had photographed and recorded previous WCDSB meetings. He had seen others do the same, including members of the press.”
"When Fonseca sought clarification from the Board, he was told by Sikora that the WCDSB had not “passed any policy forbidding photography or audio/video recording,” the JCCF said.
The JCCF noted that Board Chair for the WCDSB Wendy Price Sikora confirmed, following Fonseca’s inquiries, that there was no Board policy banning recordings.
“Rather, the directive had been implemented solely at the discretion of Director John Dowling,” noted the JCCF.
Despite this, the WCDSB proceeded to update its website with a note stating, “visitors may not take pictures, audio recordings, or video recordings while on schoolboard property during meetings.” The board also put in place a policy requiring photo ID and bag searches at all meetings.
During the ban on public recording, the WCDSB trustees in an April 28 board meeting defeated a motion proposed by Conrad Stanley, a faithful WCDSB trustee, that would have banned pro-LGBT "Pride" flags from schools, in accordance with Catholic teaching.
The ban on public recordings also took place as many Catholic school boards were and are facing opposition from concerned parents and citizens regarding anti-Catholic policies, such as LGBT "pride," being promoted in schools.
Some such outrage has led to policy change that aligns with Catholic teaching, with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board in Ontario voting to ban “pride” flags from being flown at schools.
