Education
Donors may foot $100K bill for controversial Italy art, Ontario school trustee claims
The chair of an Ontario Catholic school board under fire for a summertime Italy trip claims several donors are “very interested” in footing the $100,000 bill for artwork it commissioned.
Rick Petrella, chair of the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB), said in a letter posted on the board’s website Tuesday that the group of trustees that expensed the $145,000 trip is committed to “making things right.”
“With that said, each trustee involved including myself are taking concrete actions to address the expenses incurred to the Board, including personal repayment,” Petrella said.
“In respect to the cost of the statues commissioned, I have been in discussions with several Catholic donors recently who are very interested in assisting in covering these costs. I am actively working with them to secure their donations and remove any financial obligations of public dollars for this expense.”
The BHNCDSB has been under fire following an Oct. 15 report in the Brantford Expositor that revealed four trustees went on a $45,000 week-long trip to Italy in July to buy $100,000 worth of artwork for a new high school under construction in Brantford, which is near Hamilton.
Petrella told the Expositor the artwork, which includes life-sized, hand-painted wooden statues of St. Padre Pio and the Virgin Mary, was part of a plan to make the new school a “flagship” institution for the board. It is set to open in September 2026.
The trustees travelled to South Tyrol, an area known for producing religious art since the 1500s, the Expositor reported. Artists there have supplied work to the Pope in the past, the outlet indicated.
Funding from the artwork came from the board’s $33-million surplus, while funding for the trip came out of a general allocation used for trustee travel and expenses, Petrella told the outlet.
He added that board approval for the artwork and the trip wasn’t required given that the dollar figure was small when compared with the $46 million being spent on the school, and the fact that the money makes up the bigger budget approval process, which is OK’d by the board annually.
Education Minister Jill Dunlop ordered an investigation after hearing the report. She said on Oct. 16 that the board “failed students and parents” with a “serious lack of fiscal responsibility and judgement.”
Petrella issued an apology in an Oct. 17 statement, and vowed the trustees would repay what they expensed.
In his letter Tuesday, Petrella reiterated that while the trip was undertaken “in good faith, with good intentions … mistakes were made.”
He added the board has begun rewriting its trustee expense rules, is working to schedule a policy meeting and will “fully cooperate” with the ministry’s investigation.
“Our goal with these actions stated above is to get to a total net zero cost position for the board and for the ratepayer for these expenses,” Petrella said.
“We hope these initial concrete steps will set us on the path to restoring your trust and confidence in us.”