The York Region Presidents' Council (YRPC) is an organization consisting of the President(s), Vice-President(s) and Student Council members of all 32 secondary schools in the York Region District School Board. The YRPC works collaboratively with the student trustees to voice student concerns. As well, the YRPC enhances communication and co-operation between Student Councils in the Board.
Responsibilities of the York Region Presidents’ Council include:
- making every effort to provide student councils with the necessary support to thrive and flourish;
- enhancing communication and fostering cooperation between students, student councils, and Student Trustees in the region;
- being inclusive of all secondary schools in the York Region District School Board;
- providing a forum for secondary students to meet and voice their concerns and share their opinions; and
- giving reasonable notice to students of meeting dates, event dates and student trustee elections
If you have any questions, concerns or would like to learn more about the YRPC, feel free to contact your student trustees.
To see updates from YRPC, follow us @theyrpc.
The 2024-2025 YRPC Executive Team
| Prime Minister | Jesse Zhou, Bayview S.S. |
|---|---|
| Deputy Prime Minister | Justin Tangpongprush, Sir William Mulock S.S. |
| Minister of Communications | Hayley Chai, Bayview S.S. |
| Minister of Public Relations | Anderson Zhu, Pierre Elliott Trudeau H.S. |
| Minister of Student Outreach | Vicky Lam, Bayview S.S. |
| Minister of Administrative Affairs | Ethan So, Bayview S.S. |
| Minister of Skill Development | Eric Chen, Milliken Mills H.S. |
| Regional Representative, CEC Central |
|
| Regional Representative, CEC East |
|
| Regional Representative, CEC North |
|
| Regional Representative, CEC West |
|
| Student Trustee | Mitusaan Kugathasan, Middlefield C.I. |
| Student Trustee | Hayden Lai, Dr. G.W. Williams S.S. |
| Indigenous Student Trustee | Natalia Pitawanakwat, Newmarket H.S. |
Contact us
For any questions, please contact YRPC via e-mail.
York Region Presidents' Council Elections
Nominations are open to any student entering Grades 9 to 12 at a YRDSB secondary school in September 2025.
Please Note: Students are not permitted to email or contact Principals of other secondary schools to garner support or campaign across schools.
Nominations close May 18. Campaigning must not begin prior to May 22 and must be in accordance with the campaigning guidelines that have been outlined below.
Questions about the election process should be directed to YRPC at yrpc@yrdsb.ca. Inquiries sent through social media will not receive a response.
Application Process
1.Complete the Nomination Form
Complete the nomination form. Make sure you are logged into your GAPPS account. Nominations are due on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 6:00 pm EDT. Late submissions will not be accepted.
You will be asked to submit a written response (not exceeding 250 words), a photo and a media consent form as part of the nomination form. Written responses that exceed 250 words will be edited.
2. Complete the Consent Form.
Please have a parent or guardian fill out the media consent form and include it with your submission.
Election Timelines
| Date | Election Timeline |
|---|---|
| Monday, May 5, 2025 | Nominations open |
| Sunday, May 18, 2025, 6:00 p.m. EDT | Nominations close |
| Thursday, May 22, 2025 | Campaigning begins |
| Monday, May 26, 2025 | Voting opens |
| Monday, May 28, 2025, 6:00 p.m. EDT | Voting closes |
| Monday, June 2, 2025 | Results announced |
| Thursday, June 5, 2025 | In-person transition meeting |
Position Descriptions
There are two types of positions on YRPC: Executive (7) and Regional Representatives (8)
Note: Candidates can run for up to 2 executive positions in addition to the regional representative position if they desire. Candidates will be required to declare their top choice position.
YRPC Executive Positions
The Prime Minister oversees the whole of the YRPC. They act as the primary spokesperson for the Council. They set meeting dates and agendas in consultation with Executive and Staff Advisors, chair all Executive meetings, General Assembly meetings, and Student Outreach Meetings, and ensure the Executive Cabinet implements council initiatives.
The Deputy Prime Minister supports the Prime Minister and takes on other responsibilities as delegated by the Prime Minister.
The Minister of Administrative Affairs is responsible for meeting minutes, database construction, and email distribution. They are responsible for informing both executive members and YRPC attendees of information when necessary. Financial responsibilities include budget projections and purchasing. Applicants should have relevant financial coursework or practical experience.
The Minister of Communications is primarily responsible for photography, video editing, graphic design, and the overall promotional material and marketing strategy of the YRPC. Applicants should have experience with Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, or other professional design software.
The Minister of Public Relations is responsible for maintaining YRPC social media accounts, managing marketing timelines, and supporting the Minister of Communications as appropriate.
The Minister of Student Outreach is responsible for planning and organizing YRPC General Assembly meetings, ensuring all schools send representatives, booking speakers, and acquiring all relevant materials and resources.
The Minister of Skill Development coordinates leadership activities and icebreakers at every YRPC-affiliated event. They are primarily responsible for maintaining a standard level of engagement and hype at YRPC gatherings. They also provide support to Regional Representatives.
Regional Representatives
The York Region District School Board covers a large geographical area and is divided up into four Community Education Centres (CEC). There will be two regional representatives for each CEC: Central Region, West Region, East Region, and North Region (for a total of 8).
Regional representatives lead discussions in breakout rooms and shall act as liaisons between schools in their geographic area and the YRPC Executive Cabinet. Regional representatives are not formal members of the YRPC Executive Cabinet.
The school that you attend determines your regional eligibility, not your home address (e.g., if you are a student living in Newmarket attending an IB school in Aurora, you are considered part of CEC Central, not CEC North). Please see the table below to determine which region you are from.
CEC North | CEC Central | CEC East | CEC West |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Voting and Campaigning
Students currently in Grades 8 to 11 are eligible to vote through a secure Google Form. Email addresses will be recorded as they fill out the form to cross-check the identity of voters and ensure fairness throughout the process.
Each school is weighed one vote. If a candidate earns a plurality of votes from one school, it will count as one vote. For example, winning 60 per cent of votes from School A is equivalent to 75 per cent of votes from School B. Each candidate can win a maximum of 33 votes.
The photo and written response submitted by candidates as part of their nomination form will be shared with voters on a website accessible as part of the ballot. All candidates must abide by Board Policy #242.0, Standards of Conduct.
Additionally, candidates can campaign through social media and word of mouth following the below guidelines.
Permissible campaigning activities | Prohibited campaigning activities |
|---|---|
|
|
Instructions for Restricting Sharing to Instagram Stories
If you have a public Instagram account, you can turn off the ability for others to re-share your posts.
If you are unsure whether a campaign activity is permitted, please reach out to YRPC at yrpc@yrdsb.ca for an interpretation bulletin.
Candidates or voters that wish to report potential violations of campaign rules are asked to submit a description of the alleged conduct (and evidence if available) to the attention of YRPC at yrpc@yrdsb.ca.
General questions about the election process should be directed to YRPC at yrpc@yrdsb.ca. Adjudications made by YRPC on interpreting these rules are final and not subject to appeal.