Brantford, Ont., trustees spent $50K on flights, hotels, gourmet meal for Italy art-buying trip, receipts show

School board trustees from the Brantford, Ontario area have agreed to repay the $50,000 they spent during an art-buying trip in Italy last July, which included costs for luxury hotel stays, a limousine ride, and a $1,600 gourmet meal.

Details of these expenses, funded by taxpayer money, were uncovered through a freedom-of-information request to the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB).

Chair Rick Petrella and trustees Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp, and Mark Watson traveled to northern Italy from July 8 to 15 to purchase $100,000 worth of custom art for two new high schools. Their itinerary indicated a round-trip flight from Toronto to Munich, followed by a drive through Austria to northern Italy, though there has been no clarification on why the trip began and ended in Germany.

A spokesperson for the school board confirmed that the trustees have committed to reimbursing all travel costs and declined further comment. Petrella issued an apology in October, stating, "We wish to reiterate to everyone that this trip was undertaken in good faith, with good intentions and for the promotion of our Catholic values, but mistakes were made."

The expense breakdown reveals:

• $28,206 for round-trip flights to Munich, reportedly in business class,
• $15,973 for hotel accommodations in Munich and Italy, including "superior" and "deluxe" rooms,
• $2,422 for meals, including a $1,600 dinner at a high-end restaurant in the Italian mountains,
• $2,135 for an SUV rental,
• $654 for taxis, including a limousine from Toronto Pearson Airport to Brantford.

Weeks prior to the trip, trustees had revised their spending policy to allow for upgraded airfare and accommodations, valet parking, alcohol, and higher reimbursement limits for meals.

After local media reports and a subsequent governance review ordered by the province, Petrella reiterated that such expenses would not recur, and the board would seek donors to fund the artwork costs, with trustees covering the travel expenses personally. The trustees also tightened their expense policy last week, introducing more restrictions and oversight, stating, "We hope these initial concrete steps will set us on the path to restoring your trust and confidence in us."

Meanwhile, Ontario’s Ministry of Education has been reviewing other trustee expenses across the province, including nearly $40,000 spent by a London-based public school board on a three-day Toronto retreat in August, and another area board’s $36,000 expenditure on a conference in Hawaii earlier this year. The Ministry emphasized its expectation that all school boards prioritize public funds for student achievement and has pledged to "examine discretionary expenses across the board."