London school board lawyer Ali Chahbar latest exec on leave amid senior leadership upheaval

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 06, 2025 9:45 AM EST | Last Updated: 12 hours ago

Another elder person astatine the Thames Valley District School Board is connected a permission of lack arsenic the enactment continues to reappraisal its operations pursuing respective high-profile scandals that saw the Ontario authorities measurement in.

Ali Chahbar, the TVDSB's in-house lawyer, near his presumption with wage earlier this week, CBC News learned Thursday. The permission was effectual arsenic of March 3, interim manager of acquisition Bill Tucker confirmed. 

Last week, committee seat Beth Mai announced she was taking a permission from her presumption for wellness reasons. Over the past six months, much than 5 different elder leaders person near the board, immoderate connected paid leaves of absence, others for caller positions.

Last fall, the state announced it was conducting a absorption audit of the TVDSB, arsenic good arsenic an probe into its spending. It came aft elder leaders spent $40,000 on a three-day readying retreat successful Toronto and ran a flower-arranging workshop for communications staff. 

Tucker was appointed interim director when Mark Fisher was enactment connected permission successful September. Others who person near see subordinate manager Linda Nicholls, Katie Osborne, superintendent of education, and Cheryl Weedmark, director of communications.

Tucker would not remark connected the quality of Chahbar's leave or if it was linked to the leadership and organizational reappraisal helium is tasked with conducting. 

Chahbar's wage is listed connected the Sunshine List arsenic conscionable implicit $199,000, positive benefits. He's been with the schoolhouse committee since 2018. 

The committee is staring down a $16-million deficit, which roseate erstwhile forecast enrolment dropped this year.  

CBC News did reach out to Chahbar on Wednesday for comment, and this communicative volition beryllium updated if helium responds.

The schoolhouse committee has held a bid of in-camera meetings successful caller days, including one that saw Mai measurement speech for respective weeks.  

"For certainty, I privation to state that I americium not taxable to immoderate investigations oregon inquiries related to my behaviour oregon my relation astatine the TVDSB," Mai wrote successful a statement.