– Closing Points H – – District School Board of Niagara

H.1 “It is a principle of human rights that persons should be judged on their individual attributes, skills and capabilities, rather than on stereotypes, prejudice or assumptions. Prejudice is a strong dislike or negative feelings held by someone about another person or group. Negative attitudes and stereotypes may lead to harassment and discrimination, and affect a person’s ability to both get and succeed in a job. In many cases, discrimination results from a tendency to build society as though everyone is the same as the people in power – all young, one gender, one religion or one level of ability. Failing to consider many perspectives, or not planning to include all people, may result in barriers to access for persons identified by the Code. Such barriers, even if unintended, are discrimination.” The Ontario Human Rights Commission

H.2 Now let us speak on the leadership of the DSBN which is Warren Hoshizaki.

H.3 Does it come as any surprise with the Turner Consulting Group audit and the filing of this application that Warren Hoshizaki has now suddenly and unexpectedly decided it was time to try and walk away A.K.A.“RETIRE?”

H.4 Warren Hoshizaki behavior mimics that of Christopher McInnis who also suddenly and unexpectedly decided it was time to “RETIRE” when his behavior was called into question in regards to his acceptance of racism against the Black applicant by his vice principal Jacqueline Ravazzolo among other issues such as the bullying and abuse by Caucasian students.

H.5 Warren Hoshizaki racist, oppressive and sexist behavior against racialized individuals who were just simply looking for employment opportunities within the DSBN has undoubtedly created a negative, racist and discriminatory environment and culture within the DSBN workforce and education system.

H.6 Can you imagine you responding to a posting for a job opening at the DSBN, and not know that you never had a chance of getting it before you even walking through the door, because you we not a Caucasian! Because that is pretty much what the DSBN and Warren Hoshizaki did for almost two decades.

H.7 The biggest obstacles in this application has always been to establish that racism exist within the DSBN. A lot of time has been spent exploring the Turner Consulting Group audit and review numerous amounts of racist behavior by other school boards in Ontario. And it is has been an uphill climb to try and associate racist behavior of other school boards in Ontario to the racist behavior of Warren Hoshizaki and his employees at DSBN.

H.8 Even though establishing a pattern has emerged, one could argue that guilty by association is not a template to prove “the deep roots that racism, bias, and discrimination have in the world, now and in history. And we know that those same roots have long been grounded in our education system. In fact, we have acknowledged that racism still exists at the DSBN.”

H.9 Now this statement is not some random statement being made by some random individual who as a Christopher McInnis would say is “sour about our school system.” No, in fact this statement is currently posted on the DSBN.org website and was made by the greatest offender to racialized individuals rights at the DSBN, the Director of Education himself, Warren Hoshizaki.

H.10 At this moment, the HRTO needs to adopt a completely different strategy as racism does exist in the DSBN as it has come out of the mouth of the biggest offender of racialized individual’s human rights, Warren Hoshizaki. “In fact, we have acknowledged that racism still exists at the DSBN”

H.11 So now that it has undoubtable been established that the DSBN and its culture are racist. The only thing left to consider is what role did Warren Hoshizaki play in it all? And did he honestly try to put a sincere end to the applicant’s two long years of experiencing racist and abusive interactions with DSBN employees and students while trying to get an education?

H.12 We now know that the Warren Hoshizaki never cared about diversity, equity and inclusion within the DSBN as his hiring and promotion practices prove that. However, rather than taking action to change his own conduct, Warren Hoshizaki continued to choose to do nothing, complacently sitting back in his office, on Facebook, allowing the applicant to be harmed, mistreated, verbally abused, intimated, lied upon and the list goes on. All the while attempting to figure out how to shield and protect his Caucasian employees that were violating the applicant’s human rights.

H.13 Remember the Director of Education, Warren Hoshizaki “provides leadership to a dedicated team of supervisory officers and staff system” and therefore his racism, misandry, prejudice and discriminatory behavior had to permeate the culture of the DSBN workplace. Manifesting itself not only in his employee’s promotions and hiring decisions, but also in the way that his employees portrayed their beliefs against racialized children/students, including the applicant.

H.14 “The Director of Education will provide leadership to a dedicated team of supervisory officers and staff system” as stated by the DSBN.

H.15 The applicant and his family are now at the point where they no longer have to question if Warren Hoshizaki refused to intervene in the applicants and his family’s issues. The question that must be posed to Warren Hoshizaki is why was he so NOT willing to intervene from the beginning?

H.16 Was it because as far as Warren Hoshizaki was concerned it was just some racialized student making unfounded accusation of racism against his “dedicated team” of DSBN employees despite he, himself admitting that “In fact, we have acknowledged that racism still exists at the DSBN?”

H.17 Again the great irony and disgusting behavior of Warren Hoshizaki is that he openly admits “that racism still exists at the DSBN” and for over two years he ignored the applicant and his family’s concerns that kept growing by the incidents. Warren Hoshizaki even refused to investigate or speak to the family about their concerns and alleged facts.

H.18 There is no longer denying or disputing the fact that everything a leader like Warren Hoshizaki does, from choices, to messages, to actions and to modeling values has an effect on the behavior and morals of his employees and consequently the employee experience.

H.19 As stated by the DSBN “The Director of Education will provide leadership to a dedicated team of supervisory officers and staff system”

H.20 There is no doubt that a good leader plays and important role in the culture and mindset of their employees. This also applies to a toxic leader like Warren Hoshizaki, who has built a bias culture in which people quietly watched him launch racist offensives against ANY racialized individual, from ANY racialized group who was merely applying for a job at the DSBN for almost 20 years.

H.21 Furthermore, what makes his actions much more horrendous is that as public official who gets paid with taxes payers dollars, not only by Caucasian tax payers, but the same racialized tax payers of whom he declined to hire solely based on their race, and/or color, and/or ancestry, and/or place of origin and/or, ethnic origin.

H.22 Warren Hoshizaki had endless opportunities to intervene at any point, and at the very minimum he could have demonstrated some form of interest and sincere effort to look into the circumstances surrounding the applicant and his family.

H.23 However as Warren Hoshizaki watched on, and saw the negative impact that the inexperienced Mary Anne Gage was having, whom he allowed to hijack the applicant’s situation. Warren Hoshizaki continued to allow these inexcusable acts of racism to continue against the applicant and his family to continue for over two years.

H.24 As the director of education, he owns the ultimate responsibility for the behavior of any “dedicated” employees. It is his mandated duty and responsibility to treat ANY accusations of racism, prejudice or discrimination with the upmost dedication to professionalism, responsibility and appropriateness.

H.25 And as we have seen Warren Hoshizaki could not have given any less attention about the accusations of racism and discrimination made against his “dedicated” employees as he sat in his office and watched in silence. However, it seems that he is starting to show some concern, since he is abruptly and unceremoniously now decided to leave his role as the DSBN’s Director of Education.

H.26 Once more, it is extremely ironic and disgusting how Warren Hoshizaki acknowledged “that racism still exists at the DSBN” yet disregarded the rising concerns and worries of applicant’s parents for more than two years. Warren Hoshizaki refused to talk with the parents about their concerns and their reported facts.

H.27 Essentially Warren Hoshizaki was well aware “that racism still exists at the DSBN” but he chose not to give it any thoughts or concern since it was consistent with his own recruiting and promotion policies that were racist, misandry, prejudice and discriminatory for nearly 20 years against racialized individuals while at the DSBN.

H.28 As Mary Anne Gage was a new and inexperienced school board trustee, who was clearly out of her element, and had no idea how to handle the applicants matter. Warren Hoshizaki still allowed her to hijack the applicant situation after deciding to disregard the applicants and his family’s concerns of racist behavior towards their son by employees and students of the DSBN?

H.29 And at some point Warren Hoshizaki recognized there was no turning back, and that the “harm” and the shit-show-mountain that Mary Anne Gage had created by her own inexperience was too high to climb out of. Warren Hoshizaki covertly started preparing to “RETIRE” in an attempt to escape being held accountable, as he tries to leave Mary Anne Gage and her co-defendants to sit in their own mess!

H.30 Warren Hoshizaki deliberately decide not protect and shield the applicant from harm at the hands of his “dedicated” employees and students. And he deliberately ignored the applicant and his parents concerns of racist behavior towards their son by employees and students of the DSBN.

H.31 Warren Hoshizaki has consistently disregarded the rules and regulations that both the Ontario government and they themselves have imposed. This, once more, always seemed to favor Caucasian offenders in a convenient fashion.

H.32 Warren Hoshizaki racist discriminatory filled culture were obviously well aware of the wrongs they were doing to the applicant, which is why Warren Hoshizaki and his “dedicated” employees made such a strong effort to ignore it and try to conceal it. Warren Hoshizaki treatment of the applicant and his family blatantly contradicts everything he claims to be against. Warren Hoshizaki strived to have the applicants and his parent’s voices NOT to be heard!

H.33 Retirement or not, Warren Hoshizaki needs to face financial consequences that will force him to pounder if it was worth it or not to disregard the applicant and his parents in an effort to defend the rights of his “dedicated” Caucasian offenders?

H.34 Warren Hoshizaki was more than happy to remain silent, do nothing and let his “dedicated” Caucasian offenders portray the Black child/student as a nasty, vindictive 12-year-old boy who is full of anger and spewing unfounded lies!

H.35 The fact that Warren Hoshizaki preached about equality, diversity, and inclusion for years—nearly two decades—and at the same time this, DSBN Grand Wizard, the greatest offender of human rights, Warren Hoshizaki was prepared to let a Black child/student continue to be abused, physically and emotionally harmed and to suffer at the hands of a racist school board that he was well aware existed, and chose not to confront in this instance!

H.36 However, given that Warren Hoshizaki has been violating the human rights of hundreds, maybe thousands of racialized people for nearly twenty years, why would anyone expect him to stand up for one Black child or student and his rights?

H.37 And as Warren Hoshizaki has been paid according to the Sunshine list over four million dollars since he started with the DSBN for his racist and sexist and discriminatory behavior which has permeated into the culture of the DSBN. Can you imagine how many racialized students, including the applicant have felt the negative impact of his beliefs and behavior.

H.38 And as Warren Hoshizaki has been paid according to the Sunshine list just under one million dollars while working at Rainy River District School Board as their Director, which at this time also appears to be having its own Organizational Whiteness concerns occurring.

H.39 Warren Hoshizaki must learn that there is no escaping the finical accountable for his long term and deliberate racist behavior towards the applicant and his family. That his actions have real consequences of destruction and emotional impact on the life of a Black child/student and his family.

H.40 And his suddenly and unexpectedly retiring, an attempt to run and hide, does no excluded him from being held accountable for his lack of responsibility in dealing with the situation and the mistreatment, neglect and harm that the applicant and his family felt an the hands himself and his “dedicated” employees.

H.41 While the applicant was being forced to live and deal with the endless amounts of assaults, bullying and racist incidents, Warren Hoshizaki persistently appeared to the public to be against racism and bullying within the school board. Well behind closed doors he was also persistently appearing to be ignoring the racist and bullying actions against the Black applicant by Caucasian students, bullies and employees.

H.42 It is evident that the Warren Hoshizaki has been actively and knowingly discriminating against the Black applicant and his family for over two years simple for no other reason than the applicant was unfortunately a racialized student in a racist DSBN! Just like Warren Hoshizaki proven refusal to hire racialized individuals to work at the DSBN for no other reason than they were racialized looking individuals.

H.43 And that is as shallow and ignorant as a person like Warren Hoshizaki gets when trying to describe the racist sexist and discriminatory behavior that was his motivation not to afford the “equity, diversity and inclusion” to the applicant, and why he refused to remove the many “barriers to opportunity and equity of access” to the applicant and his education..

H.44 And that is as naive and shallow as someone like Warren Hoshizaki can get when attempting to explain his racist, sexist, and discriminatory actions that drove him to refuse to grant the applicant “equity, diversity, and inclusion” and refused to even address the numerous “barriers to opportunity and equity of access” to the applicant’s education.

H.45 If the HRTO is truly committed to ending racism in our school boards and schools at the hands of Director of Educations like Warren Hoshizaki . It must impose serious financial penalties that make it abundantly evident that racism in our school boards and schools is no longer acceptable anymore—or else you and your employees, retired or not will be held financial accountable!