SMOL: Remember Richard Bilkszto’s brave stand against woke decolonizing indoctrination on Canada Day
· Toronto Sun
It’s been almost three years since Toronto teacher and principal Richard Bilkszto took his own life after being harassed and demeaned when he dared to stand up for Canada during a Toronto District School Board DEI professional development session.
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His long-drawn-out litigation and subsequent suicide in the wake of the petulant comments from a woke, corporate, self-described “equity thought-leader” –Kiki Ojo-Thompson of the Kojo Institute– and her rube teacher-followers at TDSB heartbreakingly came before his final publicly uttered words praising Canada and could serve as a catalyst to the recent surge of Canadian nationalism.
Sadly, Richard Bilkszto has left us, but shouldn’t his standing up for Canada remain in our collective memories on occasions such as Canada Day?
The circumstances that led to Bilkszto’s suicide on July 13, 2023, sparked outrage among many, forcing several members of the media, including myself , to address the narrow-minded intolerance of the DEI decolonizing agenda.
It is a battle that is still ongoing, though somewhat muted, in the wake of Trump’s annexationist threats, the happy surge in Canadian nationalism, all the cheesy variations of Mike Myers “elbows up” slogan, and Prime Minister Carney’s assertion that Canada can serve as a “beacon to the world.”
Nonetheless, do we not owe a debt of gratitude to the likes of Richard Bilkszto for having carried the lonely torch of Canadian nationalism at a time when woke, decolonizing, anti-Canadian ideological fad was at its height especially in government, public education and academia?
By way of reminder, what did this humble public-school teacher and popular principal say that could cause a corporate bourgeois DEI instructor to, figuratively speaking, scream blasphemy and tear her/his/their fancy business attire? What irreverent profanation to woke decolonizing educational dogma did Bilkszto utter in April 2021 that would result in his actually being admonished by senior administration before being publicly humiliated again by the school board’s hired “equity thought leader” in a follow-up session?
He claimed, according to the audio transcript of the session, that Canada, based on facts and figures as well as his teaching experience on both sides of the border, is “a more just society” than the United States and that it would be an “incredible disservice” to learners if they were not taught this reality.
These remarks were prompted by Ojo-Thompson’s reported assertion that “Canada is a bastion of white supremacy and colonialism” and that “the racism we experience is far worse here than there (the United States).”
Say it ain’t so Ojo!
The result was sadly predictable to anyone who might have witnessed the unwillingness of the DEI re-education dogma to entertain civil, fact-based debate. It was reported that Bilkszto was shunned by his superiors and his contract with the board was not renewed.
Ojo-Thompson went on to further shame Bilkszto’s comments in a subsequent session.
Bilkszto ended up on workers compensation for the stress that the backlash for his pro-Canada comments caused. He deserved better.
Should this just be taken as a sad misunderstanding or tragic sequence of events? Should Bilkszto have just sucked it up and endured the way almost all teachers today put up with harassment from students, administrators, parents and self-styled “thought-leaders?”
Before we answer this question lets ponder the following.
If asserting “I am Canadian” or “this is what is great about Canada” is to become more than just a slogan without substance, there has to be a willingness to freely assert its value in all forms of civic debate. Especially when those who might want to dismantle and denounce this country’s traditional Judeo-Christian western styles colonial fabric might jealously try to impose their evidence challenged historical agenda.
And may I also add that this country’s “heroes” do not necessarily have to wear uniforms and carry weapons. Equally important are those such as this country’s Fathers of Confederation headed by Sir John A. Macdonald who, against the powerful continental pull of the U.S., peacefully created and asserted a better vision for North America – o ne that we should shamelessly stand up for and try and make even better.
Richard Bilkszto was one small recent testament to the vision once championed by the likes of Sir John A.
Finally, one cannot fully address this issue without mentioning what happened to Kiki Ojo-Thompson. Did her callous actions that reportedly initiated this tragic chain of events force her into some form of professional exile?
Nope! Based on her LinkedIn profile she continues to ply her trade in the corporate world. Since leaving her Kojo Institute she has been gainfully employed in the corporate world as a Partner, Human Capital at Deloitte from September 2024 to January 2026 and, more recently, as an “Executive Advisor” with MJY Advisory.
Seems that, when it comes to Kiki Ojo-Thompson, the Canadian Dream’s sense of humour can only be matched by its unrequited forbearance.
— Robert Smol is a retired teacher and military veteran. He is currently completing a Ph.D in military history. Reach him at [email protected].