HALDIMAND—In a video criticizing “wasteful” school board spending released to social media on September 24, 2025, Minister of Education Paul Calandra revealed the Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) spent more than $250,000 in a legal battle against elected school board trustee Carol Ann Sloat.
The dispute began in May 2023 when Sloat was barred from attending board meetings. The decision stemmed from interactions with trustees as Sloat raised concerns about the use of in-camera (closed door) sessions during board meetings for issues she felt should be public.
The Divisional Court ruled last November that the board’s sanctions against Sloat’s actions were unreasonable, awarding her $10,000 in damages and lifting bans on her participation.
A subsequent appeal by the board to the Court of Appeal was dismissed in April 2025.
In an interview with The Press in December of last year, Sloat remarked, “I wish they would just accept the Court’s decision, move on, and stop wasting taxpayer money.”
GEDSB has not publicly disclosed the total financial costs incurred in the legal battle.
In his video, Calandra slammed boards for “using valuable education dollars to fight each other as opposed to support our teachers who are working so hard to give our students all the opportunities they need to succeed. The Grand Erie District School Board wasted over $250,000 on trustee disputes.”
GEDSB spokesperson Ryan Strang responded to Calandra’s comments, stating, “The Education Act requires the Board of Trustees to have and uphold a Trustee Code of Conduct. Trustees are responsible for setting Grand Erie’s strategic direction and ensuring that decisions are made in the best interests of students. These responsibilities depend on respectful, professional behaviour and adherence to governance standards.”
He continued, “The Board of Trustees found that Trustee Sloat failed to meet those standards. Trustee Sloat responded by taking the Board to court, even when no sanctions were imposed.”
Strang iterated the court applications that generated legal costs were initiated by Sloat, not the Board.
“The Board of Trustees’ involvement was required to uphold its statutory obligations and respond appropriately. While these proceedings were unfortunate, the Board of Trustees’ focus has remained on maintaining good governance and supporting classrooms,” he said.
In his post, Calandra listed four other boards with high tallies related to trustee conflicts, including $214,000 spent by the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, $208,000 by the York Catholic District School Board, $67,000 by the Dufferin Peel Catholic Board, and $52,000 by the Bluewater District School Board.
“These are completely unnecessary expenses, and they’re taking resources away from where they’re desperately needed,” said Calandra.
As a result, the provincial government is considering making “governance changes to support our students, our teachers, and to give parents all the confidence they need that their kids are going to have the best opportunity to succeed.”
In an interview with CBC News, Calandra said he is open to eliminating locally elected school board trustee positions. In an audio clip shared to his Facebook account on September 19, he said, “We’re not getting rid of school boards, we’re just looking at how school boards are governed and is the trustee the best role.”
Stang responded, “Parents, caregivers, and community members should know that the Board of Trustees is committed to putting the needs of students first.”
He provided several recent examples of GEDSB’s work to improve education locally, including:
- Prioritizing classroom learning, student wellbeing, and staff support.
- Improving achievement in mathematics and increasing graduation rates.
- Supporting initiatives such as the new Grand Welcome Centre; the Innovation Hub; an Artificial Intelligence strategy and micro-credential; the Centre of Excellence for Teaching, Learning, and Belonging; and curriculum modules developed with police partners.
- Enhancing specialized services and mental health supports that are student-centred.
- Expanding Indigenous language course offerings.
- Partnering with organizations such as the Toronto Holocaust Museum and the MEHRIT Centre for Shanker Self-Regulation to support learning.
- Undertaking capital projects including two new elementary schools, one major renovation, and two childcare centres currently in development.
GEDSB is not the only local board to face criticism from Calandra. Earlier this year, he warned that he is prepared to vacate a Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) seat after a trustee stopped repaying travel costs tied to a controversial 2024 trip to Italy.
In that instance, four trustees spent roughly $50,000 on luxury travel accommodations while purchasing $100,000 in commissioned artwork for new schools in Brantford and Caledonia.
Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady questioned the logic behind removing trustees in her recent column.
She warned that the removal of trustees could be a step toward a more centralized power and decision-making structure around education.
“I question whether school board trustees are really the problem in our broken education system, or are they the low hanging fruit?” asked Brady, noting that other government positions such as MP, MPP, or local councillors have also been found guilty of abusing taxpayer dollars without their positions being eliminated.
Sloat herself, however, has a more hopeful outlook.
“Every dollar spent on lawyers comes from elsewhere, probably the classroom. Minister Calandra is entirely justified,” said Sloat in an email to The Press.
She called changes to the Education Act, which came into effect on January 1, 2025 and take adjudication over issues like her feud with GEDSB out of a board’s hands, a “positive change, especially the requirement that makes every final report come out publicly. I asked for my reports to be made public and they weren’t. I had to tell my story. There might be a lot less complaints because of these new rules.”
Strang agreed, “The Board of Trustees fully supports these amendments and welcomes further discussions about strengthening governance.”
