Richard Bilkszto, a former principal with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), died by suicide last week in a tragic act that came after he was subjected to racist bullying by diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultants hired by the school district.

The former educator’s untimely passing was first announced by his attorney Lisa Bildy on Thursday. “With sorrow, it is announced that Richard Bilkszto passed away suddenly last Thursday, July 13, 2023 at his home in Toronto. He was 60 years of age. He leaves behind his distraught mother, brother, nephews, niece and many dear family and friends whose lives he touched over the years,” Bildy wrote on Twitter.

“Sadly, Richard experienced an affront to…[his] stellar reputation in the spring of 2021, causing him severe mental distress,” Bildy added.

Bildy’s letter references an incident that occurred during an April, 2021 DEI training seminar mandated by TDSB – the largest and most influential school district in Canada – led by “anti-oppression consultants” from the KOJO Institute.

During the session, Bilkszto – a gay man and former Liberal Party organizer – challenged arguments made by Kike Ojo-Thompson, the group’s founder, that Canada was “a bastion of white supremacy and colonialism.”

“At least they [the U.S.] had a fighting posture against the monarchy; here we celebrate the monarchy, the very heart and soul and origins of colonial structure,” Ojo-Thompson argued, according to Bilkszto’s account.

Bilkszto, who had taught in Buffalo, N.Y., for a time and understood Canada’s vastly different history with slavery, challenged Ojo-Thompson’s argument, which invited a scathing retort.

"We are here to talk about anti-Black racism, but you, in your whiteness, think that you can tell me what's really going on for Black people?” the equity consultant shot back.

Another facilitator jumped in to tag team Bilkszto: “[I]f you want to be an apologist for the U.S. or Canada, this is really not the forum for that." Ojo-Thompson later added that "your job in this work as white people is to believe" and reflected on the episode calling it a “profound and appropriate teachable moment.”

After the meeting, a prominent TDSB superintendent, Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, commended the KOJO Institute on Twitter for overcoming the “resistance” they encountered from Bilkszto and for “modelling the discomfort administrators may need to experience in order to disrupt ABR [Anti-Black Racism].” Petrazzini’s thinly-veiled reference to Bilkzsto was only removed after his legal team threatened a lawsuit.

Petrazzini now holds the senior-most position within Hamilton’s public school district.

In a subsequent session, Ojo-Thompson repeatedly singled out Bilkszto’s comments as proof of “resistance.” The incident led him to go on sick leave.

“No one knows for sure what went through Richard's mind in the hours and days before he took his own life,” Michael Teper, a former colleague, told National Review. “But it is clear that he received a public verbal thrashing at the hands of the KOJO Institute that he did not deserve. Top management at the Toronto District School Board, according to Richard, didn't care. When diversity training leads to a high school principal with 24 years experience shamed to the point that they see no alternative to suicide, the diversity training is being done wrong.”

Bilkzsto later sued TDSB for harassment and demanded an investigation into Ojo-Thompson’s conduct, which the board refused. However, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), an Ontario insurance collective, ultimately ruled in the former principal’s favor. “Based on the information on file,” one WSIB case manager wrote, “I am satisfied that the conduct of the speaker on April 26, 2021, and May 3, 2021, was abusive, egregious and vexatious, and rises to the level of workplace harassment and bullying.”

“The evidence demonstrates that the speaker [Ojo-Thompson] purposefully chose to address you publically twice, on April 26, 2021, and May 3, 2021, calling you a white supremacist and resistor in front of two hundred colleagues and senior administrators,” documents shared with NR reveal. “This conduct took place for over an hour, and noting that the speaker had sufficient opportunity to address you privately between April 26, 2021, and May 3, 2021, it would suggest that the speaker did so with the intent to cause reputational damage and to ‘make an example’ of you. You were also referred to as a ‘problem’ that had to be dealt with.”

“Unfortunately, the stress and effects of these incidents continued to plague Richard,” Bildly wrote in closing. “Last week, he succumbed to this distress. His family and friends have been left reeling and wishing they could have had the chance to convince him that he was loved, respected, and needed here. May he rest in peace.”

TDSB did not respond to National Review’s request for comment.

"We recently learned of the passing of Mr. Richard Bilkszto. We offer our condolences to his loved ones and colleagues during this difficult time," the KOJO Institute told the National Post, the outlet which first broke Bilkszto’s story, last Friday following news of his death.

KOJO counts among its clients the CBC, the University of Toronto, Vice News Canada, the CDC, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Interac, TD Bank, H&M, and numerous Ontario public school boards.

Screenshots shared by Chanel Pfahl, a former educator, revealed slides used by the KOJO Institute which included acknowledging that “Our system Is racist, anti-Black and colonial,” and affirming “the experiences of racialized, Indigenous, and Black people are to be believed and acted upon.”

This is the kind of training @KojoInstitute provides. No disagreements allowed.

When is @Sflecce going to defund DEI? pic.twitter.com/XKyio0ySNo

— Chanel Pfahl 🇨🇦 (@ChanLPfa) July 21, 2023

Bilkszto’s colleagues remember his work and advocacy fondly. “Having taught in a high school for a few years before being subjected to a suspension and multiple investigations for having inconvenient political opinions myself, he and I had a lot in common,” Pfahl, whose story was previously featured in NR, said of Bilkszto. “Though he never shared the details of his story with me, as he was waiting for it all to go public, he checked in about my situation every few months, interested to know how I was and what my next steps were. He was caring and supportive. I wish I could have reciprocated when he needed it most. I will remember him fondly.”

Save Our Schools TDSB, a coalition demanding the school board reinstitute merit-based admissions, mourned Bilkszto’s passing. “Richard's death should never have happened. We call on the TDSB to publicly apologize to Richard's family for the bullying of their beloved son, brother and uncle. We also call on the Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, to investigate and ensure this never happens again,” the group, to which Bilkszto belonged, said in an official statement.

“Richard Bilkszto was a dedicated educator who was deeply concerned about the direction Ontario schools were heading. He believed in classical liberal values, student achievement, and open dialogue. He came alongside me and many others who have been punished for voicing similar concerns,” said Carolyn Burjoski, another former teacher previously featured in National Review reporting on the battle for age-appropriate children’s library books. “The cowardly TDSB did not support this excellent principal and instead increased his isolation and pain is tragic.”

Jeff Hall, a vice principal within Peel District School Board, criticized Bilkszto’s supporters following his untimely death. “They’re really using a suicide as a weapon, huh?” the senior administrator tweeted. “Listen. Those ‘stop woke indoctrination in our school’ or whatever accounts are literally fascist.”

Hall later publicly apologized, stating “it was also unnecessarily harsh,” and deleted the message before adding, “it is also important to note how dangerous it is to turn the tragic death of someone into a political cudgel which is what is undeniably happening.”

“Blaming the death of someone on equity initiatives is unequivocally wrong and creates dangerous spaces for those who do equity training. It’s appalling to see and that is also triggering to many people,” he added before sharing a list of suicide resources.