Ontario Holding School Board Trustee Accountable for Improper Use of Taxpayer Dollars

“My focus as Minister of Education is to ensure that every dollar invested is preparing students with practical skills for good-paying, stable careers. Every decision I make, every dollar our government spends, must support better outcomes for students and give teachers the tools they need to help them succeed.

We expect every school board to direct resources to the classroom, not on luxury trips and wasteful spending.

Despite clear expectations communicated to the trustee and a repayment deadline set out in April, one of the four Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board trustees has failed to reimburse taxpayers for his share of a trip to Italy that amounted to approximately $50,000 in travel costs, an expense that was both excessive and unjustifiable.

This trustee’s refusal to repay what he owes is exactly why we are reviewing Ontario’s school board governance model, because too often trustees lose sight of their responsibility to students.

Today, I introduced legislation that, if passed, would remove the trustee from Haldimand County from office and bar him from running for a trustee position in any school board in the 2026 municipal elections. He will be ineligible to fill a trustee vacancy on any Ontario school board until after November 14, 2030.

If the trustee is unwilling to meet the basic standards of accountability, then he should no longer hold a position of public responsibility. This is about putting students first, something this trustee has failed to do.”