Ontario launches probe of Toronto’s Catholic and public school boards, takes control of London board

Paul Calandra, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing speaks during a press conference regarding housing development in the Greater Toronto Area at Toronto City Hall, in Toronto on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

TORONTO — Ontario has taken control of one school board over financial mismanagement, launched financial probes of three other boards and ordered a fifth board to repay costs for a trip to Italy to buy art, new Education Minister Paul Calandra said Wednesday.

The province said it will increase accountability and transparency measures to address “failures” at several school boards while serving notice to all boards that money needs to be prioritized to help students succeed and provide teachers with the resources they need.

“Some school boards treat hard-earned tax dollars like their own, spending them on luxury hotels, fine dining and first-class travel overseas, and booking extravagant retreats for meetings while accepting test results that in some cases show students struggling,” Calandra said.

“Now it is beyond comprehension and just shows how out of touch some of the board executives have become with the real needs of the people of Ontario.”

Four trustees with the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board racked up $190,000 of the public’s money for a trip to Italy to buy art for schools, a provincial governance review found. That included $63,000 to manage the fallout of the trip once it was exposed by the Brantford Expositor.

Calandra has ordered the board to repay the cost of the trip as well as the $100,000 spent on art. The board did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The review found a “tale of two boards.”

“On one side, under the leadership of the director of education, day-to-day operations were run efficiently and positively,” the report said. “On the other side, the governance role of the board of trustees displayed notable dysfunction.”

The review found certain trustees “ventured deeply into operational territory” rather than providing broad strategic oversight, often bypassed established protocols and failed to bring relevant decisions to the board.

The province has also appointed a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board after it conducted a review in the wake of a staff retreat to Toronto that cost about $40,000 and included a stay at the hotel connected to the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play.

The province appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers to investigate the Thames Valley board’s finances. It found the board has been running “significant” deficits for several years, which meant cutbacks to services for students.

Calandra said the investigation found “that a lack of financial oversight in the budgeting process has led to a deteriorating financial position.”

“Yet, sending senior board officials to a retreat at the luxury SkyDome hotel in downtown Toronto was a priority amid a multi-billion dollar budget deficit,” he said.

The Thames Valley board declined to comment Wednesday.

“The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board went even further, travelling all the way to Italy using public funds to purchase artwork. Tax dollars were spent so that four trustees could enjoy fine wine and four-course dining at a Michelin star restaurant,” Calandra said.

The province is also launching investigations at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board over ongoing financial deficits and spending concerns.

Calandra said all three have failed to address ongoing, years-long deficits with no plan to return the books to the black.

“Not to sound like a big tough guy, but to be very clear, the resources that we provide, we’re providing record level of funding. We expect that to be made available to teachers so that they can give our students the ultimate ability to succeed.”

“The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) continues to remain committed to responsibly managing public funds,” Catholic board chair Markus de Domenico said in a statement to CP24.

“The TCDSB has identified over $80 million in savings. In addition to this, staff have already identified an additional $10 million in savings for the 2025–26 school year and remain focused on finding further efficiencies.

“The TCDSB continues to face financial challenges due to unfunded sick leave costs, statutory benefits, and legacy local commitments tied up in collective agreements, as well as the provincial moratorium on school closures.”

Neethan Shan, Chair of Toronto’s public board, also issued a statement following the provincial announcement, which read in part, “It is important to note that while Trustees will continue reviewing the budget to find savings, we have already cut millions of dollars from the TDSB budget over recent years in the face of significant financial challenges that impact our ability to meet student needs.”

“We have also now received the report from the Ministry of Education with regard to the investigation into the Grassy Narrows River Run field trip. Following the field trip, we strengthened our excursion approvals process and provided clear direction to schools regarding field trips,” the statement added.

The province is leaving the door open to taking control of all three boards, depending on what the probes reveal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.

Allison Jones and Liam Casey, The Canadian Press