HALDIMAND — Four trustees at the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) will be paying back the board for a trip they took to Italy this summer to purchase art.
Chair Rick Petrella and Trustees Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp, and Mark Watson spent about $45,000 travelling to South Tyrol.
On this trip they commissioned about $100,000 worth of art, primarily for the St. Padre Pio Secondary School in Brantford – a new $46 million “flagship” school that is set to open in 2026 with space for 1,400 students. The art purchases included a life-sized statue of the saint and the Virgin Mary, a large crucifix, and 14 sculptures showing the 14 Stations of the Cross. Also purchased was a bust of Pope Francis for the new Pope Francis Elementary School that is set to open in Caledonia next fall.
Funding from the artwork came from the board’s $33-million surplus, while funding for the trip itself came out of a general allocation used for trustee travel and expenses.
As news of the trip and its related costs broke recently, significant backlash was seen in online discussions.
Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Education, said, “Our government increased public education funding to historic levels to support student achievement and better equip teachers in the classrooms, not to expense trips on public dollars by school board staff.”
“In this instance, (BHNCDSB) not only failed students and parents but the community with a serious lack of fiscal responsibility and judgement,” continued Dunlop. “School boards are expected to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, whether in a deficit or surplus situation. I take this issue seriously and I have asked my Ministry to explore all options available to investigate this matter.”
Following the backlash, Petrella said, “The board of trustees wishes to express regret regarding the events related to the trip to Italy this summer.”
“We recognize that the optics and actions of this trip were not favourable, and although it was undertaken in good faith to promote our Catholic identity and to do something special for our two new schools … we acknowledge that it was not the best course of action,” he continued.
Petrella said the four trustees who “participated in the trip has agreed to repay all the expenses incurred to the board” for the travel expenses. He added that the board is looking at “other non-board funding options to help offset the costs” of the artwork. Additionally, Petrella said the board “heard the concerns of our parents, students, staff, and stakeholders, and we recognize the need to further invest in our system. As a result, we have decided to allocate additional funds forthwith to support student needs.”
Examples of how those funds will be used include enhanced de-escalation training for staff, additional resources and staffing for the safe and healthy schools programs, and improvements to the school breakfast programs.
“We deeply regret the events that have taken place, and I want to personally assure everyone that such incidents will not occur again,” said Petrella. “We are committed to providing the highest quality educational experience for our community and to continuing our longstanding tradition of sound fiscal management, ensuring that our board remains one of the best in the province.”
