In August 2002, Christie was appointed by the government of Ontario of Ernie Eves to serve as supervisor of the Toronto District School Board, with sole authority for all financial and administrative functions of the Board. The school system is Canada's largest, with over 550 schools and 300,000 full- and part-time students. His appointment allowed Christie to supersede the authority of elected school trustees. Among the Trustees supervised were future Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne, future Ontario Cabinet Minister Donna Cansfield and future Toronto City Councillors Paula Fletcher and Shelley Carroll. The provincial government argued that Christie's appointment was necessary, as the TDSB had not submitted a budget to the Ontario Minister of Education as legally required. Representatives of the TDSB claimed that they could not find the necessary operating expenses for the year, given provincial regulations which prohibited deficit spending. TDSB chair Donna Cansfield was perceived to be supportive of Christie's initiatives, so trustee Shelley Carroll waged a campaign to replace Cansfield. Unable to generate majority support, Carroll then served with Cansfield as TDSB co-chair.