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Niagara Catholic District School Board trustee candidates

2026 · English Catholic · Welland and Pelham · One trustee · 3 candidates

Which ballot will you get?

Candidate comparison

Question 1 of 5: Background

Compare all 3 candidates. Scroll across for more questions.

3 Niagara Catholic District School Board trustee candidates across 5 comparison questions.
Candidate01Background02Why are they running?03Priorities04Board record and past elections05Campaign contact
Igor BelskyView candidate
  • Campaign email: kollageconsulting@gmail.com.
Irma RuiterView candidate
  • Retired speech and language pathologist; worked at Bethesda in Thorold, supporting people with developmental disabilities and training caregivers.
  • Listed as president of the St. Alexander parish Catholic Women's League.
  • Volunteers with Branches Catholic Ministries and leads Bible studies, including at her parish.
  • Running to uphold the Catholic faith in schools and serve families in Welland and Pelham.
  • Would support board policies and resources that uphold Church teaching and help staff deliver the approved religious education program.
  • Supports strong reading and mathematics skills and help for special learning needs; would review student-progress and special-education reports and question how resources meet students' needs.
  • Would listen to parents and students, bring shared concerns to the board and help families follow the appropriate process for individual school concerns.
  • Would scrutinize budget proposals, ask questions and weigh spending against student needs.
  • Supports schools where every student is treated with dignity and protected from bullying.
  • Ran for Welland and Pelham's Niagara Catholic trustee seat in 2022; received 949 votes to Paul Turner's 2,805.
Paul TurnerView candidate
  • Retired teacher; taught religion and sociology at Notre Dame College School in Welland for 32 years and served as school chaplain.
  • In 2022, chaired the refugee and social justice committees at St. Kevin's parish in Welland.
  • In 2022, said the board should invest in student mental health.
  • In 2022, supported better pay for educational assistants and help for vulnerable students affected by the pandemic.
  • Niagara Catholic trustee for Welland and Pelham since his 2018 acclamation; seeking a third term.
  • He moved the board's earlier motion to fly the Pride flag; voted against an October 2024 motion to ban it.
  • Won the 2022 Welland and Pelham Niagara Catholic trustee election with 2,805 votes to Irma Ruiter's 949.
  • Campaign email: paulturnernd@hotmail.com · 289-686-5260.
Question 01 of 5

Background

Paul TurnerView candidate
  • Retired teacher; taught religion and sociology at Notre Dame College School in Welland for 32 years and served as school chaplain.
  • In 2022, chaired the refugee and social justice committees at St. Kevin's parish in Welland.

Niagara Catholic District School Board trustees