Roy Brassard

Robert Roy Brassard (October 1, 1930 – October 17, 2008)[2][3] was a Canadian politician who served as a Progressive Conservative Alberta MLA, and more recently a public school board member.

Roy Brassard
MLA for Olds-Didsbury
In office
1986–1997
Preceded byStephen Stiles
Succeeded bydistrict abolished
Personal details
Born(1930-10-01)October 1, 1930
Fort William, Ontario, Canada
DiedOctober 17, 2008(2008-10-17) (aged 78)[1]
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political partyProgressive Conservative Association of Alberta

Provincial government

Brassard was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Olds-Didsbury in 1986, 1989, and 1993. In 1991, the then premier of Alberta, Don Getty created a new ministry to deal with seniors affairs, selecting Brassard to be the minister.[3] He had already dealt with senior issues while he was Associate Minister of Family and Social Services.[3] In 1996 Brassard announced he was retiring from provincial politics to spend more time with his family.[4]

Local public school board

After Brassard retired from provincial politics, he became an elected trustee on, and chair of Chinook's Edge School Division No. 73, a public school district, in Ward 8 (Didsbury).[5]

In 2005 Brassard found that because he was Catholic he may not be able to remain on the board.[5] According to the Alberta School Act, if an area has a Catholic separate school district, a Catholic person in the area can not belong to the public board. After Brassard had been elected to the board, local Catholics voted to make the area part of a Catholic Separate board (effective in 2005).[6] That meant legally, Brassard was no longer allowed to remain on the public board. The board supported Brassard in calling this discrimination, and filing a human rights complaint with the provincial Human Rights Commission.[7] They have also requested the province change the School Act. Brassard would be eligible to run for the Catholic school district. However, he said his children went to the public system, so that is where he felt he should serve.[8]

Personal life

Brassard studied marketing at Winnipeg's Red River College and business administration at the University of Manitoba. In 1950 he married Sheila Haire, and raised his family in Didsbury.[3]

References
  1. "Robert Roy Brassard". Calgary Herald. 22 October 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. Alberta Teachers' Association (January 1980). A Guide to Alberta's 19th Legislature.
  3. Geddes, Ashley, "Outcry gets minister for seniors", Calgary Herald (Herald Edmonton bureau), September 5, 1991. pg. A.1.FRO
  4. Arnold, Tom, "Another top Tory leaving; Brassard seeks more family time, Oberg may be next; INS AND OUTS;", Edmonton Journal, September 25, 1996. pg. A.7
  5. Brost, Les, "Let trustee stay on public board", Calgary Herald, April 3, 2006. p. A10. (editorial)
  6. "School board chair could lose job over religion", CBC News, March 9, 2006.
  7. Press release by Chinook's Edge regarding Human Rights Complaint, March 8, 2005.
  8. Gonzalez, Ramon, "Trustee's religion threatens his job: Alberta School Act bars Roy Brassard from his Chinook Edge chair job", Western Catholic Reporter, Week of March 20, 2000, last updated March 29, 2006.
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