WRDSB billed $116K for review or investigation into former director of education

CTV’s Krista Simpson reveals new details about the departure of the Waterloo Region District School Board’s former director of education.

The former director of education for the Waterloo Region District School Board was paid $276,999,98 in 2025, a year he did not even work there.

According to Ontario’s Sunshine List, which tracks public sector salaries in excess of $100,000, jeewan chanicka was the second-highest paid person at the board last year, behind the current director of education. chanicka, it should be noted, does not capitalize his first or last name.

CTV News has been attempting to learn more about chanicka’s departure for more than a year, including the cost to taxpayers, through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

When asked about chanicka’s pay, including any severance, the school board’s FOI, Privacy and Records office indicated that “salary continuance is often part of a director’s personal service agreement.”

CTV News has also learned the Waterloo Region District School Board was billed more than $116,000 related to a third-party review or investigation into chanicka prior to his departure.

chanicka was hired by the board in June 2021. His tenure was marked by tumult, with questions raised about decisions being made, the direction the board was taking and how it handled various crises. The school board was often unwilling to provide interviews, offering only written statements instead, raising questions about a lack of accountability.

chanicka left the school board in December 2024. The decision was announced in an all-staff email that read, “Please be advised that jeewan chanicka is no longer the Director of Education of the Waterloo Region District School Board. We thank him for his leadership and contributions and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

The school board declined to provide any further information.

CTV News then filed a Freedom of Information request.

Originally, the board denied all the requests in full. CTV News then filed an appeal with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Through mediation, CTV News obtained a small amount of information related to the costs associated with any third-party review or investigation into chanicka prior to his departure.

The school board provided three legal invoice amounts: one for $47,870.19, another for $65,334.62 and a third for $3,279.83

Together, they totalled $116,484.64.

The information released only included the amounts. It did not indicate who issued the invoice or what services were provided.

The Waterloo Region District School Board’s FOI, Privacy and Records Office stated in its correspondence, “We will not be releasing any further records as this is an employment-related matter with solicitor-client privilege.”

CTV News attempted to contact chanicka directly, but we did not receive a response.

Denied requests

The freedom of information request was denied for all internal correspondence related to chanicka’s departure. The Waterloo Region District School Board indicated email, legal advice and in-camera notes exist but were not released, citing exemptions in freedom of information legislation.

Exemptions are permitted for records related to employment-related matters, records subject to solicitor-client privilege or legal advice, and records from private meetings.

The Waterloo Region District School Board also denied a request for all costs associated with chanicka’s departure including any paid severance. CTV News was referred to the province’s Sunshine List for any record of salary continuance.