Matthew Pinchuk is running as a candidate for trustee of Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board in the 2022 municipal election.
Education
- Diploma, Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Management at Fleming College
- Political Science and Government at Trent University
Community involvement
- A Therapeutic Foster Parent for approximately 100 children over multiple years
- Executive Team for the Belleville Amateur Baseball Association
Career
- Regional Manager at IS2 Workforce Solutions, a staffing and recruitment company
- National Sales Manager at Maxwell Paper Canada Inc.
2022 election priorities
On running for trustee
From ontarioschooltrustees.org:
Matthew Pinchuk is a local businessperson who has spent the last 22 years in Belleville. After attending college and university in Peterborough, he and his wife returned to her hometown of Belleville to work with a local children’s assistance agency in the role of Therapeutic Foster Parents for approximately 100 children over multiple years. He has two children, one who recently graduated from high school at Eastside Secondary and another currently attending Bayside in the French Immersion program. He is often found at the baseball diamonds coaching and assisting kids to learn and develop their skills and has served as a member of the Executive Team for the Belleville Amateur Baseball Association.
Pinchuk says he’s a very passionate and dedicated member of the community and wants to bring those traits to the position of Public School Board Trustee. His goal in running for the position of Public School Board Trustee is to bring more focus to Student Development and a Student First perspective to our community. There were many influences in Pinchuk’s life that he says helped shape him to be the person he is now. When reflecting on those people many are teachers. Teachers who took the time to truly understand who he was, where he wanted to go in life, and supported or directed him towards success. He would like to bring this type of experience to all students to help them develop into successful members of the community.
Pinchuk currently works in the staffing industry and sees there is a significant lack of potential employees in the region, and even more so when looking at the skilled trades and medical sciences. He feels that while there are many ways to currently bridge the gap, it is through education and development of our students that change will truly be achieved. Creating programs to encourage and develop and support skills relevant to our community and its needs is imperative in order to grow the community and children. These changes will take time and as such, Pinchuk has committed to sit for a minimum of two terms in the position of Public School Board Trustee in the hopes to bring stability to the position and advocate for the needs of the families in the region.
Commitments
- Supporting both our teachers, and students to create a positive learning environment
- Mitigating the impacts of potential labour disputes and ensuring students are not affected
- Supporting and advocating for the supports required for students with both educational and/or physical difficulties
- Continuing to develop and foster an educational environment that will help to develop our students and assist them in choosing, entering, and succeeding within the workforce or post-secondary education system
Issues and views
From his Facebook:
If necessary, will you support the reintroduction of masks or even another lockdown to ensure the safety of kids?
If the science and experts state that it is necessary to reintroduce masking or return to a lockdown situation to ensure the safety of the students, then it would have my full support. Ideally, this does not occur, and experts are able to implement more alternatives to ensure our children are safe. The short- and long-term effects of a lock down on learning is significant and should be a last resort. Regardless, the number one priority must be the safety and security of all students and faculty.
Should every child be vaccinated as recommended by the province? (unless allergic, etc)
Experts advise that vaccines are effective and remain the best way to minimize the effects of Covid. Currently, I believe that given the controversy around vaccination it is important to allow freedom of choice. Should a more effective and stable (targeting all variants) vaccination become available the requirement should be reviewed.
Are you an ally to the LGBT+ community? Do you support a school environment where kids can be their true selves even if they are gay, lesbian, bi, trans, etc?
I am an ally to the LGBT+ community. I fully support that schools and the community as a whole should be an environment where students feel free to express themselves as they see fit. Everyone should feel comfortable to learn in an environment that promotes fair and equitable treatment for all persons.
Where do you stand in the larger debate going on regarding our history. How you balance the urge of some to engage in presentism and current fashionable tendency to vilify some figures within our history with issues of reconciliation and inclusivity?
It is very important that when learning about our history that a true picture is presented. It is important to show multiple perspectives, both the good and bad, to ensure students understand not only the impacts of the decisions of the past, but how decisions from the past influence the present and future. History helps society learn from the past, so as not to repeat our mistakes.
This question doesn’t fall within a trustee’s purview, but I am curious to know if you think the Catholic school system should be merged into the public system?
Thank you for this question. I am a believer that the Catholic system should be merged with the public system. Aside from the long term budgetary and capital benefits of the merger, it needs to be done for equality purposes. There is no reason that someone whose faith is not Catholic should have to pay to send their kids to a faith-based school, while a student choosing to attend a Catholic school is publicly funded.
Should history and civics be mandatory through elementary and secondary schooling?
History/Civics should be mandatory through elementary and secondary schooling. It is important that our students are learning from our past, and have the opportunity to discuss and understand current events and how they may impact them in the future. We need more diversity in the course selection to ensure we are capturing the attention and interest of the students.
Personal life
Pinchuk is married and has 2 children.
Contact
- Website – no
- Email: matthew.j.pinchuk@gmail.com
- Phone:
- Campaign Facebook, Facebook
- Reddit – no
Over to you
What do you think of Matthew Pinchuk as a councillor candidate for Belleville?
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