By Joseph Marshall
An Ethics Commissioner has suspended English Montreal School Board Commissioner Julien Feldman for 15 days, ordered him to issue a public apology, and imposed a financial penalty after finding that he violated the board’s Code of Ethics during the 2024 school board election.
In a 54-page final decision dated February 2, 2026, the Ethics Commissioner concluded that Feldman breached his ethical obligations by referring to rival candidate Dr. Shalani Bel as “Ms. Gaza,” a label the ruling described as unwarranted, undignified, and damaging to the image of the English Montreal School Board.
The ruling brings to a close a 14-month investigation that examined Feldman’s conduct during the heated Ward 10 election campaign, weighed competing claims about free expression and political speech, and revisited a long and documented history of ethical sanctions involving the commissioner.
The Ethics Commissioner found, on a balance of probabilities, that Feldman referred to Bel as “Ms. Gaza” in a private text message sent to an EMSB parent and elector on October 24, 2024, and later continued similar rhetoric on social media after being confronted.
While Feldman argued the comment was an off-the-cuff political remark made in private, the decision rejected that defense outright, concluding the explanation was neither credible nor acceptable. The Commissioner ruled that the label falsely associated Bel with the Israel-Palestine conflict despite there being no evidence she had taken any public position on the issue during the campaign.
The decision emphasized that the obligation to act with dignity applies to commissioners “at all times,” including during election campaigns, and that freedom of expression does not shield conduct that undermines the credibility of the school board.
Two additional allegations, that Feldman spread or encouraged rumours accusing Bel of supporting Hamas or questioning the Jewish identity of members of her slate, were not substantiated due to lack of corroborated evidence. A separate Charter-based discrimination claim was ruled inadmissible at the outset.
As a result of the violation, the Ethics Commissioner imposed three sanctions to be served concurrently.
Feldman is suspended for 15 days, from March 1 to March 15, 2026. During that period, he is barred from exercising the functions of a commissioner, including sitting on advisory committees, though he retains the right to attend and vote at public council meetings.
He is also required to read a public apology aloud at a meeting of the Council of Commissioners no later than April 30, 2026. The decision prescribes the substance of the apology, requiring Feldman to acknowledge that the “Ms. Gaza” remark was unwarranted, that his explanation was found not credible, and that his conduct undermined the image of the EMSB. The apology must include a direct apology to Dr. Bel.
In addition, Feldman must make a $250 donation to UNICEF and provide proof of payment to the board’s Secretary General by the same deadline.
The Ethics Commissioner noted that Feldman did not act in good faith during the process, showed no meaningful remorse, and continued to deflect responsibility even after acknowledging the remark was a poor choice of words.
The severity of the sanction was influenced by Feldman’s extensive history of ethical violations within the EMSB, which the decision lays out in detail.
Since 2010, Feldman has been the subject of multiple ethics findings and sanctions, including:
• 2010: Formal reprimand
• 2010: Formal reprimand in a separate complaint
• 2012: Multiple reprimands for conduct found to be undignified and damaging to the board’s credibility
• 2013: Formal reprimand
• 2014: One-week suspension
• 2014: One-month suspension
In those cases, Ethics Commissioners consistently found that Feldman’s conduct and language exceeded acceptable limits of debate, tarnished the reputation of others, and failed to meet the standard of dignity expected of a school board commissioner.
In the present ruling, the Ethics Commissioner stated plainly that Feldman’s prior record warranted a severe sanction and that the incident could not be treated as an isolated lapse divorced from past behaviour.
A central issue in the case was whether the Code of Ethics applies to commissioners while they are campaigning. Feldman argued that the comment occurred outside his official duties and was therefore protected political speech.
The ruling rejected that position, pointing to the wording of the Code, which explicitly requires dignified behaviour “at all times,” and to past EMSB precedents in which commissioners were held accountable for conduct occurring outside formal board activities.
The Ethics Commissioner also noted that commissioners remain in office until they are replaced, and that ethical obligations do not pause during elections.
The decision underscores that school board elections are not ethics-free zones and that commissioners, even when acting as candidates, are held to a higher standard than ordinary political actors.
While only one allegation was ultimately substantiated, the ruling makes clear that a single remark, if sufficiently undignified and damaging, can justify significant sanctions, particularly when viewed against a history of prior misconduct.
Feldman remains in office following the suspension period, but the ruling adds another formal finding to a disciplinary record that now spans more than 15 years.
If only there was a body powerful enough to punish those utterances and conduct on social media deemed misogynistic, racist, and bigoted, ignorant, cruel, and hateful against people or organizations. All of us can learn something about the limits of expression.
His racism is only matched by his arrogance and sense of impugnity.