7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 16,2021 insidehalton.com ...the freshest name in nuts P. Nutty EntirE StorE on SalE 20-50% off all Gift BaSKEtS on SalE 35% to40%off P. Nutty eshest name in nuts Shop online www.davidrobertsfood.com 2351 Upper Middle Rd. E, Oakville, On L6H 6P7 Ph: 905.502.7700 • Toll-free: 1.800.361.4028 www.davidrobertsfood.com Store hours Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Sunday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm eshest name in n...the freshest name in n Gourmet Gift Baskets, Baking Ingredients at Wholesale Prices ENTIRE STORE ON SALE OPEN DEc 24Th uNTIl 4 PM Great Selections of Freshly Roasted Nuts, Gourmet Confections, Imported Chocolates andmore… December 17th to December 24th 9 Days Left! December 17th to December 24th 905-469-3232 1459 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville delmanor.com From our Delmanor Glen Abbey Family to yours, Happy Holidays! The new chair de- scribed the final year of this board's term as a chance to earn back a posi- tive reputation. Milton trustee Marvin Duarte was elected as the new chair of the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB). Defeating Burlington trustee Vincent Iantomasi for the position, Duarte takes on the role following a term of the board that has been la- belled as divisive and dys- functional by parents, stu- dents, official reports and other trustees. In his acceptance speech, Duarte directly ad- dressed what he hopes for the next year and the pub- lic perception of the board. "I do not see this as a vic- tory, rather as a beginning a new chapter for us," said Duarte. "We have one year left to earn back some of our reputation -- let's grab the opportunity and forge ahead." In the last year, HCDSB meetings have regularly included multiple calls to order, agendas left incom- plete at the end of meeting time, threats of disabling trustee microphones and criticisms by ratepayers and students around trust- ee conduct. The situation got to the point that an in- vestigation was conducted into trustee conduct. The roughly 30-page re- port from that investiga- tion, released in Septem- ber, found multiple in- stances of what it described as factionalism and dys- function at the board table. "Given our track record, I do understand the odds of us coming together. But I will do my part to break the ice and put in the time and effort to make this happen. I'm going to ask all of you to stay positive, focus and bring some confidence to our HCDSB families. Trustees, as mentioned earlier we will very strictly adhere to our bylaws and trustee code of conduct at our meetings," said Duarte. Chairs and vice-chairs are elected for one-year terms at the HCDSB. Bur- lington trustee Brenda Ag- new was elected as the new vice-chair. In his unsuccessful bid to be selected as vice-chair, Burlington trustee Tim O'Brien expressed support for Duarte while acknowl- edging the challenge be- fore him. "We have just elected a chair at a time in our board where there's a lot of divi- siveness, a lot of entrench- ment and a lot of people in their own corners. And I truly believe the chair we elected is probably the only person right now that can unify us," said O'Brien. Despite the optimism expressed, Duarte's first meeting as chair on Dec. 7 was a contentious one. At one point, a dispute over the speaking order be- tween trustees Nancy Guz- zo and Peter DeRosa result- ed in a reprimand from Duarte and the labelling of DeRosa's behaviour as an interruption. "Thank you once again for interrupting me," said Guzzo during the interac- tion. "Go ahead trustee De- Rosa because you're so it's all about you all the time." There were multiple oc- casions during the meeting wherein Duarte requested trustees follow the estab- lished meeting protocol. 'BEGINNING OF A NEW CHAPTER FOR US' Marvin Duarte is the new Halton Catholic District School Board chair. Graham Paine/Metroland ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com NEWS HALTON CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD ELECTS NEW CHAIR "We have one year left to earn back some of our reputation - let's grab the opportunity and forge ahead." - new HCDSB chair Marvin Duarte