Greetings colleagues,

Representing the BCPVPA and the work of our members is a critical part of the President’s role. On April 3 and 4, I was in Toronto with Director of Member Support Services, Magdalena Kassis, at the OPC Summit on Public Education in Canada, hosted by our key national educational partner, the Ontario Principals’ Council (OPC). This event focused on key challenges and potential solutions related to education across Canada, and supporting students to be future-ready. Our relationship with the OPC goes back many years; like the BCPVPA, the OPC is one of the few principal organizations in Canada that is not part of a provincial teacher’s union, and we experience similar successes and challenges unique to being an independent organization.

I am writing this column on the first day of the Summit, and the content and connections have been inspirational. In next week’s column, I will share more about what we heard from the world-class speakers, and the connections we made as we represented the leadership work of BC Principals and Vice Principals at this national forum.

L to R: Brian Leonard; OPC Executive Director, Nadine Trépanier-Bisson;

Magdalena Kassis; OPC President, Patsy Agard