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

School board trustees from the Brantford, Ont., area will pay back the $50,000 they spent during an art-buying trip in Italy last July, including for deluxe hotel rooms, a limo ride and $1,600 gourmet dinner.

CBC Hamilton obtained details of how taxpayer money was spent, through a freedom-of-information request to the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board (BHNCDSB) this week.

Chair Rick Petrella and trustees Dan Dignard, Bill Chopp and Mark Watson travelled to northern Italy between July 8 and 15 to buy $100,000 worth of custom art for two new high schools. 

Their travel itinerary shows they flew round trip from Toronto to Munich. No explanation has been provided for why they began and ended their trip in the German city — driving through Austria to get to northern Italy, road toll receipts show.

A BHNCDSB spokesperson said in an email that the trustees have agreed to repay all the travel expenses and the board has no further comment. 

Petrella apologized in October.

"We wish to reiterate to everyone that this [trip] was undertaken in good faith, with good intentions and for the promotion of our Catholicity, but mistakes were made," Petrella said in a statement. 

The expense reports and receipts show the $50,000 included:  

• $28,206 for round-trip flights to Munich with the price per ticket in line with flying business class.
• $15,973 for hotel rooms in Munich and Italy with some nights spent in "superior" and "deluxe" rooms. 
• $2,422 for meals, including a $1,600 dinner at a gourmet restaurant in the mountains of Italy.
• $2,135 for a Volvo SUV rental.
• $654 for taxi services, including a limousine ride from Toronto's Pearson International Airport to Brantford. 

Trustees had voted to change their own spending rules weeks before the trip to cover upgraded plane seats and hotel rooms, valet parking and alcohol, as well as lifting caps on reimbursements for meals. 

Ontario reviews other trustee trips

This fall, after local media reported on the trip and the province ordered a governance review, Petrella apologized and promised it wouldn't happen again. 

He said in a statement the board will be looking for donors to cover the cost of the art, while he and the other trustees would pay back the trip costs. 

Last week, trustees also walked back changes to their expense policy, adding more restrictions and oversight. 

"We hope these initial concrete steps will set us on the path to restoring your trust and confidence in us," Petrella said in the statement. 

The province is also investigating a public school board in London, Ont., after officials spent nearly $40,000 on a three-day retreat in Toronto in August.

And CBC London revealed Thursday that another school board in the area paid $36,000 for three trustees to attend a conference in Hawaii earlier this year. 

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education told CBC London it will be "examining discretionary expenses across the board," and expects all school boards to use public money for student achievement.