An Ontario Catholic school board has made changes to its expenses policy following widespread criticism for using $145,000 in public funds to send trustees on a trip to Italy this summer to buy religious artwork for a new high school that is being built.
At a special board meeting on Monday, trustees at the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board in Brantford approved a policy that they can no longer expense alcohol, upgrade hotel rooms or travel outside of North America without the approval of the Minister of Education.
Four of the board’s six trustees, including the board’s chair Rick Petrella, reportedly expensed $45,000 for a July trip to northern Italy, where they purchased about $100,000 worth of artwork, including life-sized wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary. Most of the artwork was intended to be housed at St. Padre Pio Catholic Secondary School, a new Brantford high school that will open in September, 2026.
Earlier this month, Education Minister Jill Dunlop questioned the fiscal responsibility of the board. The ministry is conducting a governance review in light of the expenses controversy.
“We will be examining discretionary expenses across the board,” Edyta McKay, Ms. Dunlop’s spokeswoman, said on Wednesday. “We expect every school board to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars that prioritizes student achievement, whether in a deficit or surplus situation.”
This marked the second time in this academic year that the province had to step in and review school board expenses.
Just last month, Ms. Dunlop ordered an audit of the financial operations of the Thames Valley District School Board in London amid revelations that senior staff spent nearly $40,000 on a three-day planning retreat that included a hotel stay inside the Rogers Centre baseball stadium. The Blue Jays were playing at home during their stay. The board’s education director was put on a paid leave of absence, and a former director is serving in the interim.
In Brantford, Mr. Petrella did not respond to an email from The Globe and Mail on Wednesday requesting specifics of the trip to Italy, and why the expense policy was altered.
A month before the July trip, trustees loosened their expense policy. It allowed them to fly business class “or higher” if travelling outside North America and the trip was more than six hours, with approval from the chair. Previously, flight upgrades would have been considered a personal expense and not reimbursed.
It also allowed for upgraded hotel rooms and, in some situations, alcohol.
Under the revised policy, the board indicated maximum amounts that can be spent on meals while trustees are away on board business. It has also switched the approval authority for expenses back to the treasurer instead of the board chair.
Earlier this month, Mr. Petrella said that he and the other trustees who took the trip to Italy would repay the $45,000 in incurred expenses. He also indicated that he would explore non-board funding options to offset the costs of the artwork.