Education minister vows to fire Brant Catholic trustee
A Brant Catholic trustee who disobeyed orders
to repay Italy trip funds
could lose his seat.
In April, Education Minister Paul Calandra demanded four Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board trustees who took a
now-infamous trip to Europe
to buy art for schools (flying business class and eating at a Michelin star restaurant) repay the nearly $50,000 they expensed.
Three trustees confirmed they repaid their shares of $12,666 ahead of the May 23 deadline.
'I, along with Rick Petrella and Dan Dignard, have repaid in full,' trustee Bill Chopp told The Spectator in an email last Thursday.
On the same day, Petrella corroborated, telling The Spec 'I have, along with Dan Dignard, and Bill Chopp, fully repaid all amounts related to travel expenses to the board, in full compliance with the minister's directive.'
On Thursday, Calandra told Newstalk 1010 host Deb Hutton he will 'fire' the fourth, who only paid '$2,000' of his share, CTV reported.
Trustee Mark Watson owed $12,370. When asked last week, neither he nor the school board would confirm if he repaid the full amount.
As it stands, Calandra can't remove a trustee — who is elected by the public — from their seat.
However, he told Hutton he plans to bring forward legislation that would enable him to 'vacate that trustee's seat,' CTV reported.
The Spectator was unable to reach Watson by phone on Thursday for comment.
When asked, the school board said it doesn't have anything to share at this time.
After news of the trip broke, Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady asked then-minister Jill Dunlop to call the four trustees and demand they resign.
'So, yes, I agree that this rogue trustee should be fired if he refuses to repay taxpayers the full amount of the Italian junket,' she told The Spectator Thursday.
In a news conference earlier in the day, Calandra announced a Supporting Children and Students Act, which, if passed, would 'expand my authority as the minister of education for oversight and control of school board affairs,' he said.
It would allow the ministry to intervene and put a school board under supervision without waiting for a recommendation from a third-party investigation, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
9 hours ago
- Newsweek
The Bulletin May 31, 2025
The rundown: Italy's decision to tighten its citizenship rules, blocking applicants from getting recognized through their great-grandparents, has been "a real gut punch" for descendants of Italian migrants in the U.S. hoping to formalize their connection to the European country. Know what their options are. Why it matters: Until last week, Italy allowed foreign nationals with an Italian ancestor alive after March 17, 1861, to apply for citizenship under what is called "jure sanguinis," or citizenship by descent. But growing criticism of the rule, which many said allowed people with little connection to the country to get a convenient passport, and a surge in applications in recent years have led the Italian government to change its application requirements. For the Italian government, the changes were a way to respond to criticism that the system was being abused by people "without any cultural or linguistic ties to the country," Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said. "The rule change was a real gut punch for me," said Jesse Hughes, a Pennsylvania resident whose mom's paternal grandfather, Giovanni Raccio, was born in a small Italian town called Gioia Sannitica in the province of Caserta. Read more in-depth coverage: Why Dual Citizenship Is The New American Dream TL/DR: For Americans with Italian blood who were in the process of seeking Italian citizenship, the rule changes have caused "a lot of panic and heartbreak," Joseph Spinelle told Newsweek. What happens now? The only thing that those shut out by Italy's new citizenship rules can do at this point is to challenge the changes in court. Deeper reading Rule Change Hits Americans Seeking Italian Citizenship: 'Real Gut Punch'
Epoch Times
9 hours ago
- Epoch Times
2nd Suspect in Manhattan Crypto Kidnapping and Torture Case Indicted
NEW YORK—A second man charged in the kidnapping and torture of an Italian man for his Bitcoin has been indicted. A Manhattan grand jury handed up the indictment Friday against William Duplessie, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. The indictment will remain sealed until his arraignment June 11.
Hamilton Spectator
9 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton police board refuses to debate motion on Charter breach policy
It was more than a year ago when retired Crown attorney Andrew Bell, delegating before Hamilton's police board, panned the service after a court ruling found officers violated Charter rights when they unnecessarily broke down a door during a raid and failed to provide an accused their right to counsel. 'No criminal case should ever be lost or comprised due to a Charter breach by the Hamilton Police Service,' Bell told the board in February 2024, calling the tossed drug case and no-knock raid a 'monstrous failure.' Bell, who has decades of experience in Charter litigation and compliance, proposed the board implement a new policy that ensured Hamilton's police chief would notify the board whenever an officer committed a Charter breach. 'I want this board to take action. Be a pioneer.' On Thursday, that opportunity to act was placed squarely in front of the board, with citizen member Anjali Menezes moving a motion that proposed heightened monitoring and accountability of police-involved Charter violations. They opted against it. Motions at board meetings require a mover and a seconder before it can be discussed and voted on. Menezes, the author of the motion, understandably moved it. But when it came time for a seconder, no other board member raised their hand, leaving the motion to not be discussed — much less voted on. 'I am disappointed and upset, absolutely,' Menesez told The Spectator after the meeting. 'I very much suspected this outcome could be a possibility, but I am hopeful there may be a way to try again … I'm not going to give up.' Aside from Menezes, board members present at Thursday's meeting were chair Don Robertson, vice-chair Esther Pauls and provincial appointee Shaun Padulo. Mayor Andrea Horwath (injured) and Coun. Cameron Kroetsch (suspended) were absent. Menezes told the board her two-page motion was inspired by Bell's delegation last year, which led her 'on a year-long journey to learn about this topic' and how the board can help police safeguard the Charter rights of all Hamilton residents. The Spectator has reported on several court rulings in recent years which found Hamilton officers violated people's Charter rights while making arrests. That includes a scathing decision last March, when a man was acquitted on all charges after a judge found two officers racially profiled him during a traffic stop and illegally searched his car. Among the proposals in the motion were that: Its purpose wasn't to make the service look bad, Menezes stressed to board members. Instead, she described it as another part of the board's responsibilities to ensure adequate and effective policing in Hamilton. 'Just like how we get annual reports from the professional standards branch,' she said, adding Charter breaches aren't something that should be reported to the board as a courtesy, but rather a requirement. Earlier in Thursday's meeting, four people delegated before the board about the motion. All implored members to pass it. 'There has been no motion put before the board which is more important than the one before the board today,' Bell, who started working for the local Crown in 1979, said during an impassioned delegation. 'Charter compliance is an essential and indispensable part of providing adequate and effective policing. Passing this motion will show this board is serious about requiring the Hamilton Police Service to safeguard the Charter rights of everyone in this city.' Bell said the onus is on the board to impress upon the service the importance of reducing its number of Charter breaches to zero. He added Charter violations should be reflected in the chief's annual performance review. 'If the chief doesn't treat Charter compliance seriously — unless HPS members, from deputy chiefs to cadets, know that Charter breaches on his watch are not trivial slips but career-limiting failures — the essential cultural change that HPS must make will not occur.' In March, after a court found two local officers violated a person's Charter rights during a 2022 traffic stop, police said they had implemented enhanced training on Charter rights and unconscious bias. 'We are committed to a comprehensive approach that includes reviewing policies, practices and decision-making processes to ensure they uphold human rights. We recognize the impact of these decisions on our community and remain committed to ensuring fair and impartial policing in Hamilton.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
