Julie Molenaar appointed as Waterloo Catholic District School Board trustee, replacing Wendy Ashby

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has appointed Julie Molenaar to fill a trustee seat left vacant after Wendy Ashby stepped down in May. 

The board made the decision at a meeting on Tuesday.

The trustees had two options to fill the seat — either hold an election or appoint someone.

Given that an election "has very recently been held," the board chose the latter option, said a statement from board chair Tracey Weiler.

Molenaar was a candidate in the October 24, 2022 election who came in fifth place. She will be sworn in at an upcoming regularly scheduled public meeting.

Calls for Ashby's resignation in wake of tweet

Wendy Ashby made the announcement she was stepping down on May 15 after calls for her resignation for a tweet she made a week before the Oct. 24 municipal election, which is also when school board trustees are elected.

The board formally accepted her resignation at a meeting held on May 24.

Ashby, who represented Kitchener-Wilmot, had apologized for the tweet and deleted her Twitter account, but groups like Parents as First Educators and Campaign Life Coalition shared screengrabs of the tweet. Those screengrabs show Ashby wrote: "The most dangerous creature on the planet is the white Christian male. They're a threat to anyone that is not them."

Ashby said in a statement at the time that she will continue to stand with BIPOC community members and the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

"I will be continuing my advocacy in a capacity where I will be able to challenge tough issues and bring lasting change in a way that is positive and meaningful. I hope that one day advocacy for these groups will no longer be considered an act of bravery," she said in the statement.

The board had issued a statement in April saying it was aware of concerns raised by the community, adding it did not support Ashby's online comments.