Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada’s largest school board is phasing out the word “chief” from senior staff job titles, saying the move is being made out of respect for Indigenous peoples. A spokesman said the action was taken “in the spirit” of recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission spent years documenting the long-standing impacts of Canada’s residential school system and made many recommendations to further reconciliation with Indigenous people. For the TDSB, tackling the word “chief” was a proactive move, Bird said, explaining that the term has come under fire in certain contexts in recent years.