Ontario probing trustees who bought $100K in art for new school on Italy trip

An Ontario Catholic schoolhouse board is nether occurrence aft a radical of its trustees went to Italy this summertime to bargain $100,000 worthy of artwork for a caller school.

Education Minister Jill Dunlop told Global News successful a connection Thursday that she has asked her ministry to motorboat an probe into the travel by the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board trustees.

“Our authorities accrued nationalist acquisition backing to historical levels to enactment pupil accomplishment and amended equip teachers successful the classrooms, not to disbursal trips connected nationalist dollars by schoolhouse committee staff. In this instance, the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) not lone failed students and parents but the assemblage with a superior deficiency of fiscal work and judgement,” she said.

“School boards are expected to beryllium liable stewards of payer dollars, whether successful a shortage oregon surplus situation. I instrumentality this contented earnestly and I person asked my Ministry to research each options disposable to analyse this matter.”

The probe stems from a Tuesday study successful the Brantford Expositor that revealed 4 BHNCDSB trustees went connected a $45,000 Italy travel for a week successful July to bargain the artwork for a caller precocious schoolhouse nether operation successful Brantford, which is adjacent Hamilton.

BHNCDSB committee seat Rick Petrella told the Expositor the artwork, which includes life-sized, hand-painted woody statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, is portion of a program to marque the caller schoolhouse a “flagship” instauration for the board. It is acceptable to unfastened successful September 2026.

The Expositor reported the trustees besides bought a bust of Pope Francis for different caller schoolhouse acceptable to unfastened successful September 2025 successful Caledonia. Petrella told the outlet helium bought a hand-carved crucifix for the boardroom astatine the committee office, and donated an outdoor statue for the courtyard of the caller Brantford precocious school.

The trustees travelled to South Tyrol, an country known for producing spiritual creation since the 1500s, the Expositor reported. Artists determination person supplied enactment to the Pope successful the past, the outlet indicated.

Petrella told the Expositer helium had been researching creation determination and was talking to artists, but aft realizing they were going to walk a decent amount, they had to “do our owed diligence.” Petrella said the committee was capable to “negotiate amended pricing” fixed the measurement it intended to buy.

Funding from the artwork came from the board’s $33-million surplus, portion backing for their travel came retired of a wide allocation utilized for trustee question and expenses, Petrella told the outlet.

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He added that committee support for the artwork and the travel wasn’t required fixed the dollar fig was tiny erstwhile compared with the $46 cardinal being spent connected the school, and the information that wealth makes up the bigger fund support process, which is OK’d by the committee annually.

The BHNCDSB did not instrumentality a petition for remark by work time.

The outgo of another schoolhouse committee trip this twelvemonth has besides caught the ministry’s eye.

A $38,444.92 summertime retreat by members of the Thames Valley District School Board is under audit by the ministry. The interest for the retreat successful Toronto included transportation, a enactment astatine the Blue Jays stadium hotel, gathering spaces and nutrient expenses.

The board’s seat and interim manager of acquisition called the travel a “learning experience” that would “not hap again.”

The travel outgo came conscionable days aft the manager of education, Mark Fisher, went connected a permission of absence.

The schoolhouse committee would not authorities the crushed for the permission of absence, but it did travel pursuing pushback to disclose the outgo of the travel from the section national representing aboriginal puerility educators.

CUPE Local 4222 president Mary Henry criticized the spending, particularly with the committee dealing with a $7.6-million shortage for the 2024-25 budget.

— with files from Sawyer Bogdan