Agenda claims that executive director has started legal action against Student Association
Legal Counsel Ben Millard of Symes Street & Millard Barristers and Solicitors stands outside the closed Student Association board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Photo: Aliona Kuts / The Dialog
The Student Association’s (SA) board of directors has passed a motion to appoint operations manager Lorraine Gajadharsingh as the acting executive director, replacing Antoinette Davis. Davis who is now “under self-imposed medical advisement”, according to the agenda of a meeting that took place on Sept. 22.
The agenda also stated that Davis has “commenced legal proceedings against the SA.”
The claims in the board agenda have not been proven.
The Dialog has reached out to Davis for comment, but had not received a response at press time. After sending an email to Davis, an automatic reply bounced back.
“Please be advised that Antoinette Davis is no longer working with the Student Association of George Brown College,” reads the email.
“If you were contacting her regarding items pertaining to the Student Association, please note that Lorraine Gajadharsingh, operations manager, is now the interim executive director.”
Operations manager Gajadharsingh was hired less than a month ago on Aug. 24, while Davis had been the SA’s executive director since 2012.
“The organization has to be run even in the absence of the ED (executive director)” said Gagan Deep, the SA’s director of communications and internal.
According to the agenda, the board also approved an email drafted by Ben Millard of Symes Street & Millard Barristers and Solicitors on behalf of the SA.
Millard was in the closed-door meeting for 45 minutes but declined to comment, saying he wasn’t authorized to speak and referred all questions back to the board.
Heading into the meeting, LGBTQ representative Murray Rowe said that he was just learning about “what has recently happened and that a lot of us weren’t privy to that information.”
Deep explained that the meeting, which was called on 24-hours’ notice, not announced publicly and held in a private session, was to “resolve some very serious issues with the Student Association.”
Following the meeting, SA board members filed out of the room, stating “no comment” repeatedly.
