Luxury cars, pricey hotel stays and a limo ride home: what happened when school board trustees went to Italy?

A governance review has shed more light on what four trustees spent money on during a costly trip to Italy.

A report into the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic School Board’s governance is revealing more details about what happened when four trustees took a trip to Italy to buy artwork for new schools.

The school board includes 13,000 students from Six Nations of the Grand River, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk Counties, and the City of Brantford in Ontario.

In July 2024, four trustees racked up a bill of nearly $190,000 when they flew to Italy to purchase religious art for two new schools. Some of that cost is attributed to legal fees paid to manage the fallout after news of the trip became public.

Former Minister of Education Jill Dunlop appointed Aaron Shull to conduct a full governance review of the board. According to a release from the provincial government, Shull’s report found “mismanagement of public funds, a disregard for transparent decision-making and non-compliance with their own procurement policy.”

The portion of the report covering overall governance issues within the board suggested multiple people expressed concerns with a high level of staff turnover, particularly in senior administrative roles. They told Shull the changes contributed to a climate of tension and mistrust stemming from governance conflicts and trustee interference.

Shull said he heard praise for the board’s director of education, but some members of the Board of Trustees strayed into operational territory, bypassing established processes and failing to present decisions before all board members.

Shull also found instances where trustees did not accept staff recommendations, despite full Request for Proposals processes.

“The Italy trip has received the greatest public attention, but the issues uncovered, ranging from trustee overreach to contract awards and frequent staff turnover, show that the real crisis is one of governance. Restoring public trust will therefore require a renewed commitment to proper role delineation, transparent financial management, and consistent adherence to established policies and procedures,” Shull concluded.

The Italy trip investigation

During Shull’s review, he delved into the trip to Italy that included trustees Rick Petrella, William ‘Bill’ Chopp, Dan Dignard and Mark Watson.

Shull said Petrella, who was the Chair of the Board at the time, began making inquiries on Feb. 11, 2024, about obtaining a life-size statue of Padre Pio. In March of that same year, Petrella exchanged emails with an Italian sculptor, Guido Goller. Initial quotes for the artwork ranged in the tens of thousands of euros. On April 17, Petrella said the proposed cost of the statues came in at €46,200. By May 10, the Italian sculptor sent a contract for €48,000, approximately $72,000 CAD.

In April, Petrella also requested quotes for four business-class flights to Munich, luxury car rentals and high-end hotel stays in Munich and Ortisei. At the time, the board’s Trustee Expense Policy capped airfare at economy class and set moderate reimbursement rates for meals and accommodations.

The trip invoices, including pricey flights and hotel stays, were finalized on May 28.

According to Shull’s report, the board held a special meeting on June 7 to revise the Trustee Expense Policy. The changes made aligned more closely with the trustees’ already booked plans than the previous policy had.

“Interviews and supporting documents indicate that this special meeting was called with no public notice and did not follow the usual multi-week consultation process for policy updates,” Shull’s report said.

According to the timeline included in the document, the four trustees caught a Lufthansa flight out of Pearson Airport on July 8 for a total airfare cost of $28,206.28. When they arrived in Munich, they rented a grey Volvo XC90 PHEV and checked into “deluxe” and “superior” category rooms at Westin Grand Munich.

After their stay in Munich, the four trustees headed to Ortisei, a known tourist and resort area. They stayed at the Hotel Angelo Engel. The cost of the rooms for Petrella, Dignard and Chopp came out to €4,296.00 ($6,538.20 CAD) while the cost for Watson was €1,216.00 ($1,850.69 CAD).

The next day, they met at the sculptor’s workshop, but the length of time they spent there was unclear with one person saying they were there for an hour and half while another account claimed the visit took the entire day.

That night, they dined at Hotel Gardena Grodnerhof. Shull called it a “gourmet hotel and spa.” An expense receipt was submitted for four 4-course menus worth €126.00 each, three wine pairings at €72.00 each, two bottles of water costing €12.00 each and a glass of wine for €24.00. The full amount of the dinner, including alcohol, was claimed and reimbursed.

The trustees spent the next day as tourists and submitted receipts for dinner at Hotel Angelo Engel.

On July 15, they flew home and took a limo from the airport to the board office. The limo ride cost $316.24.

Shull said despite the large price tag, there had been no clear formal motion at the board authorizing the trip and committing to buying the artwork. Instead, the planning was carried out by a small subset of trustees.

“The trustees’ direct involvement in acquiring religious artwork during their trip to Italy appears to represent clear non-compliance with the School Board’s Procurement Policy (Policy #700.01). Specifically, the policy explicitly mandates that all procurement-related activities must be conducted by Board staff, particularly Procurement Services, to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness,” Shull wrote.

Repayment

Repayment

All four trustees have previously agreed to repay all expenses for the trip.

Petrella, Dignard and Chopp will be paying $12,666 each while Trustee Watson will be paying $12,370.

Repayment amounts as of March 6:

• Richard Petrella - $2,102.28 (and a repayment amount of $182.16 per pay period)
• Dan Dignard - $1,072.62 (and a repayment amount of $129.83 per pay period)
• William Chopp - $2,262.72 (and a repayment amount of $251.67 per pay period)
• Mark Watson - $1,216.71 (and a repayment amount of $135.19 per pay period)

Petrella is expected to continue making payments until May 2027, Dignard will continue paying until August 2028, Chopp will be paying for the trip until October 2026 and Watson is expected to make payments until May 2028.

Although it has previously been suggested that the school board would be looking for donors to help cover the cost of the artwork, Shull said there has been no evidence to confirm any donations have been made.

“The absence of named donors raises questions about the feasibility of this initiative and whether public funds may eventually be required. Transparency is crucial in matters of public interest, and without concrete commitments, concerns about the ultimate source of funds for the artwork remain unresolved,” he wrote.

Recommendations

At the end of his report, Shull makes 18 recommendations to the board ranging from strengthening and standardizing expense policies to discouraging expenditures with poor optics and conducting periodic external governance reviews.

The Minister of Education also included four additional action items:

• repay the amounts owing for trustee travel expenses within 30 days
• recoup the total funds spent on the art and artifacts purchased in Italy within 30 days
• attest to conduct its business only in meetings which are compliant with regulations and legislation
• submit a learning plan for trustees’ professional development highlighting governance responsibilities

During a news conference on Wednesday, Minister of Education Paul Calandra spoke about financial probes launched at three schoolboards, and spoke specifically about the trip to Italy.

“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.

“To be clear, I expect immediate action in Brant, and if I am not satisfied I will take additional steps,” Calandra added.