Latest news with #financialoversight
National Post
29-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Ontario to give education minister power to more easily take over school boards
Ontario is set to give the minister of education power to more easily put school boards under supervision and require more boards to put police officers in schools. Article content Article content The Canadian Press has learned that Education Minister Paul Calandra will introduce broad legislation today, following weeks of warnings to boards that he would implement tougher oversight. Article content Calandra announced in April that the province had taken control of one school board by appointing a supervisor due to financial 'mismanagement' and was launching financial investigations of three others, describing his actions as putting all boards 'on notice.' Article content The legislation is set to expand the reasons for initiating an investigation or putting a board under supervision beyond just financial ones, to include matters of public interest. Article content Article content Some school boards have such programs on a voluntary basis, while others ended their programs several years ago, after some students reported feeling uncomfortable or intimidated and some racialized communities raised concerns. Article content The government materials say having more school resource officers would 'help build relationships between youth and police, actively promote positive behaviour and create a culture of mutual respect.' Article content Article content The bill would also give the minister power to direct school boards to publicly post expenses of trustees, the director of education and others, and would give the minister power over school names when boards open new schools or want to change an existing name. Article content Article content The legislation also contains measures directed at the post-secondary system, including requiring post-secondary admissions policies to be merit-based and requiring colleges and universities to provide detailed breakdowns of how tuition fee revenue is used. Article content As well, the bill would allow the government to 'require transparency and increased oversight of ancillary fees at post-secondary institutions,' reminiscent of a court battle from the early days of the Doug Ford government. Article content Ford's government enacted its 'Student Choice Initiative' in 2019, which made some post-secondary fees optional, such as for student unions, but the province's top court struck it down. Article content This legislation instead lays the groundwork for the government to consult with the sector to decide which ancillary fees cover core services, and determine an opt-out mechanism. Article content Children's aid societies have also been under the Ford government microscope, with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services launching a review of them in the fall, and they, too, are subject to increased scrutiny in this bill. Article content The legislation would increase the government's oversight of certain financial decisions, to be 'outlined in future regulations.' Article content
CBC
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Quebec gov't inquiry shows lack of oversight at Nunavik school board
An inquiry by Quebec's Ministry of Education has highlighted what it says is a lack of financial oversight within Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, the Nunavik school board. "Action is needed to establish best practices in internal control and financial management," reads the report. Among other issues, it points to the board commissioners' inexperience, who didn't have the professional background needed to oversee financial operations. In 2019, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (KI) was operating with a $14 million surplus; by June 2023, that had dropped to a $26.7 million deficit. That drastic change is what set off the inquiry in December 2023. The inquiry determined that the deficit is mostly due to a construction plan that would see the building of staff housing and various education facilities. The inquiry found a lack of proper expense tracking related to the projects. "The lack of leadership of the financial resources department of KI explains why it does not play the central role that it should in the organization, and this prevents the department from carrying out strict monitoring of budgetary processes and from rendering a complete and relevant accountability report," reads the report. The Quebec government's inquiry also showed significant flaws in the organization's internal control processes. In one example, some employees still had access to the school board's databases even after they'd left. Another is that changes could easily be made to financial information without needing to be validated by a manager. The inquiry determined that this lack of oversight exposed the school board to significant risk of error or even fraud. External support The inquiry ultimately proposed 14 recommendations, including hiring an "external support person" and a "specialized firm" to steady the board's administration. It also includes advising administrators, putting together a strategic plan, training the commissioners and establishing better internal control processes. The provincial government also recommended the board develop a recruitment strategy with "clear and precise objectives in order to reach the targets for staff retention, development and mobilization and, consequently, improve student perseverance and success." According to the inquiry, the high turnover rate of teachers in the region — about 30 per cent annually — has a negative impact on student success. That rate, it states, is mainly due to "the lack of preparation of non-Indigenous teachers for living conditions in Nunavik." Another section compiled exit interview data and showed that nearly a third of the teachers that left (29 per cent) reported a "toxic" work environment. "KI needs to explore this worrying data further to improve the situation quickly. Clearly, improving the work climate will have a positive impact on the organization by motivating staff and reducing the turnover rate. As a result, students should receive better teaching and develop a sense of belonging to their school while KI should save money," it reads. Financial decisions not 'reckless', says board In a response published to its website, the board acknowledged the reports findings and said the recommendations highlighted issues already identified by the board. "They all concern areas where work was already actively ongoing prior to the launch of the investigation (for example, recruitment, staff retention, student success, maintenance of infrastructures, cyber security and more)," it said. However, the board also rejected the idea that it mismanaged its funds, instead saying the deficit was caused by a lack of funding from the provincial government. "We didn't walk blindly into a deficit. The investigation report portrays the Council of Commissioners as reckless when it comes to making financial decisions. The reality of it is that we were faced with difficult choices: inadequate funding and urgent needs in terms of infrastructure to maintain or expand, new positions needed to support students, etc.," said Sarah Aloupa, president of Kativik Ilisarniliriniq, in a statement. The decision to approve deficit spending was the best way to get the Ministry of Education's attention, she added. "So, here we are today: with a deficit and a sound financial recovery plan in place, but most importantly, with open communication channels with the (ministry)." The board said the inquiry's findings also show a disconnect between the ministry's understanding and the realities of education in Nunavik. It points to the majority of training materials for commissioners being in French as one example. "Only 10 per cent of this training material is available in English, while the rest exists only in French," reads the board's response. "Like 99 per cent of the Nunavik residents … our elected officials read and speak Inuktitut as their first language. We see it as a (ministry) responsibility to develop training material tailored and relevant to the law that applies on the territory under our administrative jurisdiction."
Finextra
12-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Moneybox appoints Melissa Birge independent non-exec director
Moneybox, the award-winning wealth management platform, is pleased to announce the appointment of Melissa Birge as an Independent Non-Executive Director to its Board. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Melissa joined in April 2025 and will also chair a newly established Board Audit Committee, strengthening the company's financial oversight and risk management as it matures and scales. Melissa brings a wealth of experience from executive and non-executive roles across high-growth, consumer-facing, and digital-first businesses. She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair at WorldRemit, and has held a range of senior executive roles including at KAYAK, where as CFO she led the company through its IPO and subsequent $2.1bn acquisition by The Priceline Group. She joins the Board alongside fellow Non-Executive Directors Alokik Advani, Jeremy Marsden, and Ben Marrel, and will work closely with Moneybox Co-founder and Board Chair Ben Stanway. Her appointment reflects Moneybox's commitment to building a high-performing Board to guide the company through its next phase of growth. Melissa Birge commented: 'I always look for a great team first, and the team at Moneybox is top notch. Throughout my career, I've worked with consumer brands—mostly internet-based—and I was drawn to Moneybox because it has a strong brand, a product customers genuinely love, and a clear focus on sustainable growth. I'm excited to support the team as they continue to build and scale.' Melissa joins Moneybox at a pivotal moment in its growth journey. Since launching in 2016, the platform has evolved into a category-defining business, integrating saving, investing, pensions, and home-buying services to help over 1 million customers build wealth with confidence, throughout life. Moneybox has consistently ranked among the UK's fastest-growing technology companies in recent years and was named a Which? Best Buy Savings Provider in 2024. The company reported its first full year of profitability in 2023 and continues to see strong momentum with total assets under administration now exceeding £15 billion. Ben Stanway, Co-founder and Moneybox Chair, said:'Melissa's track record of supporting fast-growing consumer businesses through periods of transformation and scale will be invaluable as we move into our next phase. Her experience in governance, and sustainable growth will play a key role in our continued success. We're delighted to welcome her to the Board.'
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Jersey's health minister asked to explain £28m budget hole
A scrutiny panel has written an "urgent letter" to Jersey's health minister demanding answers to why the department is comes after the publication of the States of Jersey Annual Report and Accounts, which revealed the Health Department overspent by £28m in the 2023-2024 financial year, and is forecast to be in deficit once again the year Louise Doublet, chair of the Health and Social Security Panel, has formally asked Deputy Tom Binet to explain where the extra spending had gone and what financial oversight there would is expecting a response by 16 May. The BBC has approached Binet for a comment. 'Significant pressure' Concerns were raised last week by Jersey's Public Accounts Committee, which questioned why there was a deficit when the health budget had increased by nearly £100m since the time, Minister for Treasury and Resources Deputy Elaine Millar said it was not bad management and that the health overspend was not a problem unique to Louise Doublet, said, despite understanding there was "significant pressure on spending across government departments", she said money had to be used "appropriately".She said: "Spending cannot be unlimited and there have been overspends within health for several years now."During a recent hearing, the minister told the panel that he would need more funding for his department and may seek to secure funding from the strategic reserve for this.""The panel will be scrutinising this to be sure that funds are being used appropriately."It is crucial that we, and the public, understand what the main factors in these overspends are, how the minister is working to control costs, and how the budget is being future-proofed moving forward."
