Two Toronto-area school trustees removed over campaign finance documents

Two school trustees in Toronto and Brampton have been removed from their positions after failing to file financial documents from their campaigns.

David Smith, a trustee with the Toronto District School Board, and Harkirat Singh of the Peel District School Board were forced to give up the seats they won in last fall's elections because they missed the March 27 deadline to submit their campaign finances to the clerk's office in their respective cities.

"I'm not aware of this exact situation in the time I've been with the board, which is about 20 years," said Brian Woodland, a spokesman for the Peel board. According to the city, no elected candidate has failed to file a financial statement since 1997, though some unelected ones have.

The Peel and Toronto boards have 90 days to determine if the vacated positions will be filled by appointment or by-election.

In an e-mail sent to the Peel board that was forwarded to The Globe and Mail, Mr. Singh said he was notified by the city of "the problem" on Friday afternoon and has hired a lawyer.

"We now anticipate that this matter will become the subject of a legal proceeding to the court, to seek relief from the consequences of the situation," Mr. Singh wrote, adding that he did not plan to comment further on the situation. The Globe and Mail was unable to reach him.

The Municipal Act requires all candidates to file their campaign finances by a set deadline: five months after election day. Candidates can request an extension from the Ontario Court of Justice, but Mr. Singh did not, according to the City of Brampton. The school board removed his photo and contact information from its site on Monday.

The rookie trustee was elected to represent wards 9 and 10 last fall after Harinder Malhi vacated her seat following her election to Queen's Park. According to Mr. Singh's LinkedIn profile, he works part-time as an instructor at Lambton College in Toronto.

Mr. Smith, who was first elected to the Toronto board in 2010, won his seat in October by fewer than 200 votes. Upon learning of his failure to file his campaign finances, the board declared the trustee had forfeited his office, said board spokesman Ryan Bird in an e-mailed statement.

Mr. Smith earned the dubious distinction in 2013 of being the trustee who billed the most for his phone, spending $1,098 in a six-month period, according to expense reports. He had previously served as the CEO of an accounting and consulting firm. He could not be reached for comment.