Why I want to be your Trustee

Hey friends, welcome to my page! 

My name is Cathy Varrette - I am an artist, a mother, a child advocate, and a community organizer. I am also on a lifelong health and fitness journey.

I am a single mom to a high-needs, complex-needs child. My son is my pride and joy. My inspiration, my muse. My favorite person. Everything I do is for him. I want to make the world safer, equitable, inclusive and more empathetic for him. I am relentless. And so is he. 

I have entered the race to become the next Trustee for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in Zone 12 (Beacon-Hill Cyrville, Orleans West-Innes.)  This decision was made to continue the advocacy I've been doing over the last several years. I want to elevate your voice at the board table and platform your needs in the education system. I am here to fight for equity, diversity, inclusion and support in the classroom and to get all those kids who are excluded from school or on modified schedules because of a lack of EA resources back into the classroom. I want to ensure that education staff have the resources so desperately needed in every classroom, and make public schools more equitable. I'm running to bring the fight for resources to the Ministry of Education, continuing the same advocacy I have been doing all these years, at a higher level in a different position. 

I have been attending School Board Trustee Meetings, and SEAC, (Special Education Advisory Committee) meetings for the last 3 years. Mostly watching from the live stream, until that was taken away by the Ministry of Education in Nov of 2025. After which, I began live streaming on behalf of the OAC (Ontario Autism Coalition), so that our community can continue to watch these meetings in real time from home. Creating transparency and accessibility. 

For the last few years, I have been volunteering as a Child Advocate, standing with parents when they attend meetings with their school to ensure that parents know what the school system can offer them, as the process is becoming less and less transparent and less and less accessible.

I have no intention of waiting to be reinstated to start working as a Trustee. I am here to give you a voice and help you advocate and navigate the school system. 

For Educators, Office and Custodial staff, the Mental Health Professionals and Behaviour Teams, and Child and Youth Workers, (etc.): Your working conditions are my child's learning conditions. 

Friends, this is your platform, I am handing you the mic.

In Solidarity,

Cathy