Ontario Education Minister Jill Dunlop speaks during a news conference at Queen’s Park in Toronto, on Feb. 26.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
A local teachers’ union at an Ontario Catholic school board has called on four trustees, including the board’s chair, to resign after they spent more than $120,000 in public funds on a trip to Italy this summer to buy religious artwork for a new high school that is being built.
In a letter sent to four of the six trustees at Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board in Brantford on Thursday, the union wrote that the “inappropriate” spending on the trip has “significantly eroded confidence in your ability to make sound, responsible decisions that reflect the needs and values of our school community.”
“These actions have not only raised serious questions about your leadership, but have also weakened the essential trust that our members, students, parents, other educators, and staff have in you,” wrote Carlo Fortino, the acting president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association’s Brant Haldimand Norfolk Unit. He shared the letter with The Globe and Mail.
The board has faced widespread criticism since revelations last month that four trustees – chair Rick Petrella, Bill Chopp, Dan Dignard, and Mark Watson – spent $50,000 for a week-long July trip to northern Italy, where they also purchased $72,000 in artwork, including life-sized wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary.
In response to an access request from The Globe, the board recently released details of the expenses. It included $28,000 in public funds on airfare, $1,600 for a dinner and $15,900 for hotels in Munich and Italy.
Only recently have the trustees said they would repay the expenses.
They did not respond to The Globe’s request for comment on Thursday on the call for their resignation.
Trustees loosened their expenses policy a month before the trip, which allowed them to fly business class “or higher” if travelling outside North America and if the trip was more than six hours. It also allowed for upgraded hotel rooms and, in some situations, alcohol.
Education Minister Jill Dunlop has criticized the board on its fiscal responsibility. She said that her ministry would conduct a governance review in light of the expenses controversy, although a reviewer has yet to be named.
When asked about board spending on Thursday, Ms. Dunlop said her government would look at examining discretionary expenses at all boards as part of biannual audits that were brought forward by legislation last spring.
Mr. Fortino said on Thursday that the union felt compelled to call on the trustees to step down because teachers, families and the community have “lost faith in the leadership of this board.”
He said that the government hasn’t shared any details around the scope or the timeline of its review. “We could not wait any longer to take action on this issue, our students deserve better,” he said.
Mr. Petrella said in an e-mailed statement last month that trustees would repay the expenses. He also indicated that he would explore non-board funding options to offset the costs of the artwork.
He has not responded to repeated requests from The Globe asking why the expenses policy was altered before the trip, nor has he provided details on the expenses to Italy.
After much criticism, trustees changed their expenses policy at a special board meeting late last month. Under the revised policy, they can no longer expense alcohol, upgrade hotel rooms or travel outside of North America without the approval of the Minister of Education.
This incident in Brantford marked the third time in this academic year that the province has had to step in and review a school board.
In September, Ms. Dunlop ordered an audit of the financial operations of the Thames Valley District School Board in London after revelations that senior staff spent nearly $40,000 on a three-day planning retreat in Toronto that included a hotel stay inside the Rogers Centre baseball stadium.
The board’s education director was put on a paid leave of absence, and a former director is serving in the interim.
Also in September, the government appointed a reviewer to look into the Toronto District School Board’s field trip policies after students attending an event about Indigenous issues also appeared to march alongside a rally by pro-Palestinian protesters.