David William O'Brien
Candidate for school board trustee in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. Ex-Trustee
School board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now
- 3 times on the record
- 1 time elected
Campaign contact
Contact details are from the City's candidates list, except any marked inferred, searched or supplied; hover the mark to see where that detail came from. We do not reproduce the home addresses the City also publishes.
In their own words
Verbatim, attributed, dated. Every passage below is copied exactly from an archived copy of its source — a campaign website, a news article, or the candidate's own social media post — and links to it. Nothing is paraphrased by this site and no for-or-against label is applied: read the words, follow the link. Passages from news coverage say whether they are the candidate quoted, the reporter's reported speech, or the reporter's characterisation.
Compiled in a research batch dated September 11, 2026, reviewed by hand before publication on October 8, 2026. Passages are capped at 60 words and listed newest first. Campaign pages are undated, so only the retrieval date is shown for them, and they sort by it. A candidate with nothing located on an issue is listed as such, with the date their sources were checked; a race is shown only once every candidate in it has been checked. See methodology.
Education
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This issue is not going away, and while trustees do not get involved in school operations, we can acknowledge that this is an issue; ask questions and advocate for all schools to be safe welcoming spaces for everyone.
Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'Bullying in Schools', last sentence. Page. The page is undated; retrieved and archived September 10, 2026. site
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While the provincial government has seen increases in the base funding for education, that funding has not kept pace with inflation or the rising costs in 2026 dollars for many of these necessary and underfunded services and supports.
Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'Advocate for more funding', second sentence. Page. The page is undated; retrieved and archived September 10, 2026. site
Show 4 more passages
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Therefore the funds collected no longer cover the cost of future land purchases which are the first steps to building a new school. This needs to change.
Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'C. Need to Increase the Education Development Charges', last two sentences. Page. The page is undated; retrieved and archived September 10, 2026. site
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'Many of the root causes are linked to a lack of funds from the province to provide the necessary supports and staffing needed within our schools,’ says David O'Brien
Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (Feed summary (article page not archived)). Read September 11, 2026. news
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There are a number of ongoing issues facing the SCDSB. I believe that many of them including incidents of bullying; violence in our schools can be, in part, attributed to the strains being put on the public education system.
Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (paragraph 11). Read September 11, 2026. news
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This provincial underfunding also includes insufficient funding formulas for busing and special education, as well as the critical need to build new schools to combat the growing over-crowding in schools and the problems this creates.
Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (paragraph 12, second sentence). Read September 11, 2026. news
Not yet checked for this race: social media posts.
Electoral record
In office: Trustee Ran, not elected Contesting now
| Year | Contest | Votes | Share | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Simcoe County District School Board — Barrie Wards 1, 2, 3 | — | — | Contesting now |
| 2022 | Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3 | 1,627 | 21.2% | Not elected |
| 2018 | Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3 | 2,222 | 38.6% | Elected |
Sources: City of Barrie certificates of election results. See all election results for the full documents.
In full
Each contest David William O'Brien was part of, with the whole field, because a result only means something next to what it was up against.
2022: Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lynn Strachan Elected Ex-Ward 2 | 3,680 | 48.0% |
| David William O'Brien Incumbent | 1,627 | 21.2% |
| Suzanna McCarthy | 1,327 | 17.3% |
| Alexis Clark | 1,033 | 13.5% |
2018: Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| David William O'Brien Elected | 2,222 | 38.6% |
| Gillian MacLean | 2,211 | 38.4% |
| Amanda Trinacty | 1,328 | 23.1% |
Expenses
What David William O'Brien's disclosed spending went to, from the public record, reclassified into the same spending-type buckets on both sides — see council expenses and campaign finance for how every member and candidate compares.
Compliance & Legal Voter Outreach & Data Conference & Travel Meals & Appreciation Events & Sponsorships Advertising & Media Print & Communications Office & Administration Corporate (phone/tablet) Other / miscellaneous
Compiled from the public electoral record. If anything here is wrong, please tell us on the corrections page. Names are linked across elections only where we have confirmed by hand that the records refer to the same person; where we are unsure, they are kept separate.
Common questions
Who is David William O'Brien?
David William O'Brien is a candidate for school board trustee in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. School board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now.
What is David William O'Brien running for in Barrie?
School board trustee, on the ballot in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. Election day is October 26, 2026; internet and telephone voting opens October 16. See everyone running in this race.
Is David William O'Brien an incumbent?
No. David William O'Brien does not currently hold the seat being contested; school board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now. The sitting members are listed at incumbents.
Has David William O'Brien run for office before?
Yes: on a Barrie municipal ballot in 2018, 2022. The full record, with votes and results for every race, is below.
How do I contact David William O'Brien's campaign?
The campaign published a campaign website, an email address on the City of Barrie's certified candidates list; they are shown under campaign contact above. This site does not reproduce home addresses.
Who can vote for David William O'Brien?
Voters whose school support is recorded for this board, within the trustee zone shown above. See which trustee race is on your ballot.