Katie Bartel. (Image Credit: Katie Bartel.)

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Trustee resignation

Chilliwack by-election candidate dismayed by trustee’s resignation

Mar 2, 2026 | 9:20 AM

CHILLIWACK – The former trustee candidate who ran in a Chilliwack School District by-election a year ago says she’s dismayed by the resignation of Chilliwack school board member Laurie Throness.

Chilliwack resident Katie Bartel, who received 3,163 votes in the March 2025 by-election, says she’s extremely disappointed to learn of last week’s decision by Throness to resign from his seat effectively immediately.

“Regardless of political views, when someone seeks public office, families expect them to show up, do the work, and serve their full term,” Bartel wrote on Instagram. “Over the past year, the district invested significant time and public resources to onboard Mr. Throness. Walking away now is a frustrating and avoidable waste of public effort and funds.”

Throness announced his decision to resign effective immediately as a result of a Human Rights Tribunal judgment against Barry Neufeld, which imposed a fine of $750,000, plus interest, to be paid to an unknown number of individuals in the Chilliwack School District.

Due to the ruling, Throness said the freedom to speak freely about school board issues had been obstructed.

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“I can longer do my job,’ said Throness. “All democratically-elected officials must feel comfortable to speak their mind without worrying about unfounded accusations of workplace discrimination. Since I no longer feel safe in expressing myself on the Board in legitimate ways, the only proper course is to resign. The effect of the judgment is clear: it is a warning and a threat that places an absolute-zero chill upon public discourse and the freedom of speech of elected trustees.”

The Feb. 18 ruling came more than eight years after the BC Teachers’ Federation and Chilliwack Teachers’ Association filed the human rights complaint against Neufeld on behalf of their members, specifically those who identified as LGBTQ+ from October 2017 through 2022. It says that for five years, Neufeld “publicly denigrated LGBTQ people and teachers and associated them with the worst forms of child abuse,” which the tribunal alleged created a discriminatory work environment for teachers in the district.

Bartel said freedom of expression is protected in Canada, but it is not unlimited when “speech exposes groups to danger or contempt” as she saw with Neufeld’s public statements.

“I witnessed firsthand the harm that followed his actions: hate mail, online attacks, adults confronting children at schools, and personally being spit at after a board meeting,” Bartel wrote on Instagram. “We can hold two truths at once: free expression matters, and so does the legal and moral obligation to ensure schools are safe and inclusive for every child. Public service in education carries a non-negotiable responsibility to protect the safety, dignity, and belonging of students and staff. If someone cannot fulfill that responsibility, they should not be there. In the next municipal election, voters should demand steady, accountable leadership that shows up and does the work well.”