Ontario’s Education Minister Paul Calandra has tabled legislation to remove a school board trustee from Haldimand County after the official failed to repay taxpayers for his share of a $50,000 trip to Italy.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Calandra said the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board trustee ignored a repayment deadline set in April, prompting government intervention.
“We expect every school board to direct resources to the classroom, not on luxury trips and wasteful spending,” Calandra said.
“This trustee’s refusal to repay what he owes is exactly why we are reviewing Ontario’s school board governance model, because too often trustees lose sight of their responsibility to students.”
The proposed legislation would not only vacate the trustee’s seat but also bar him from running for any school board position in the 2026 municipal elections.
He would be ineligible to hold trustee office anywhere in Ontario until after November 14, 2030.
Calandra framed the move as part of a broader effort to strengthen accountability and ensure that education funding supports students directly.
“Every decision I make, every dollar our government spends, must support better outcomes for students and give teachers the tools they need to help them succeed,” he said.
“If the trustee is unwilling to meet the basic standards of accountability, then he should no longer hold a position of public responsibility.”
The trip in question, according to the Ministry of Education, involved four trustees from the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and was deemed “excessive and unjustifiable.”
Only one trustee failed to reimburse his portion of the costs.
The legislation marks one of the most direct interventions by the province in local school board governance in recent years, reinforcing Calandra’s stated intent to “put students first” and curb fiscal mismanagement in Ontario’s education system.
