MPP says Waterloo region's Catholic school board 'wasting time and taxpayer dollars' with infighting

Kitchener Centre MPP Aislinn Clancy says she's acrophobic astir the behaviour of trustees with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and however overmuch wealth they're spending connected ineligible fees.

Clancy stood during question play Tuesday successful the Ontario Legislature and asked Education Minister Paul Calandra to "intervene" with the board. 

Clancy's connection came aft a Monday nighttime gathering wherever trustees discussed, and voted down, a question to alteration its emblem policy. There had been concerns that if the question passed, flags — including the Pride flag  — would beryllium banned from schoolhouse properties.

"Ontario's acquisition strategy is publically funded and indispensable beryllium inclusive of each students. So I inquire the minister, volition you intervene and halt these trustees who are wasting clip and payer dollars warring astir what books should beryllium successful libraries and what flags should beryllium connected poles?" Clancy said.

Clancy added extracurricular groups, including the anti-abortion Campaign Life Coalition, person been trying to power committee decisions.

In his response, Calandra did not accidental if helium would intervene, but added helium wants to marque definite "school boards are focused connected what matters to the radical of the state of Ontario and that is ensuring that students, parents and teachers person the resources that they request successful bid to guarantee maximum occurrence for our students for the jobs of tomorrow."

Board 'acting successful bully faith,' seat says

In an interrogation connected CBC K-W's The Morning Edition with Craig Norris connected Friday, Clancy said it's not conscionable the emblem argumentation that is concerning.

Clancy said she was "troubled by the part connected the committee and their absorption connected a fig of things and their attraction of each different arsenic trustees."

LISTEN | MPP Aislinn Clancy calls connected state to clasp WCDSB trustees accountable:

Clancy said Friday her bureau did a freedom-of-information petition and recovered the committee has spent much than $200,000 connected ineligible fees successful the past 2 years related to codification of behaviour charges and ineligible bills associated with that.

"Some trustees, not all, were … focusing connected books, and libraries and flags connected posts, and besides this infighting and this focusing connected codification of behaviour sanctions, keeping trustees from participating successful meetings, voting, speaking up and that is undermining democracy," Clancy said successful the interview.

Clancy said she felt immoderate of the actions being taken to authorisation trustees was an effort to soundlessness people.

"Don't get maine wrong, it's large to get ineligible advice, but I deliberation we ever person to equilibrium it out. If we are not functioning good oregon if there's a codification of behaviour charge, I deliberation we request to beryllium mindful of ineligible expenses. To me, it seemed similar a precocious number."

Board of trustees seat Renée Kraft said Clancy did not talk to the committee earlier making her statements astatine Queen's Park.

"We did not cognize she was going to beryllium speaking astir that successful the Legislature. So I conjecture firstly, I would conscionable accidental the committee is not trying to soundlessness anyone. We are acting successful bully faith," Kraft told CBC News successful a telephone interrogation Thursday.

Kraft added the committee sometimes requires ineligible advice.

"There's nary volition oregon absorption to usage ineligible services to soundlessness immoderate trustee oregon opposing view," Kraft said.

"It's important for everyone to cognize that schoolhouse boards, similar each nationalist institutions, sometimes necessitate ineligible advice, whether it's to clarify policies, enactment governance processes, oregon guarantee compliance with legislation."

WATCH | Hundreds be Pride emblem rally up of WCDSB meeting:

Kraft became seat of the committee earlier this period aft erstwhile seat Robert Sikora stepped down abruptly successful March. She said 1 of her "first priorities is to statesman reappraisal of these expenditures truthful I tin recognize the afloat discourse and guarantee we're being some prudent and just successful our usage of resources."

MPP's comments travel connected heels of trustee ban

Clancy's comments besides travel aft schoolhouse committee trustee Kathy Doherty-Masters went to tribunal for being banned from committee meetings until the extremity of June implicit a codification of behaviour complaint. 

Court documents obtained by CBC News from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice successful Hamilton amusement Doherty-Masters asked for a enactment of her being banned, which was decided astatine a December 2024 meeting.

The documents, dated April 16, showed Justice John Krawchenko reviewed 2 affidavits — 1 from Doherty-Masters and the 2nd from different Catholic schoolhouse committee trustee, Linda Cuff. 

According to the documents, the seat of the committee of trustees became alert of an anonymous ailment against Doherty-Masters connected Jan. 25, 2024. The ailment alleged Doherty-Masters had "acted successful a struggle of involvement erstwhile her hubby was hired by the committee to talk astatine an lawsuit successful April 2023."

In April 2024, the committee retained lawyer Bruce Best to analyse the allegations. In November, Best gave a summary of his study to trustees that recovered Doherty-Masters had not contravened the board's codification of behaviour oregon the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. 

"The allegations that were investigated were not substantiated," the tribunal documents say.

The committee met to see the allegations, and connected Dec. 20, 2024, Doherty-Masters received a missive saying her chap trustees had determined she had violated the codification of behaviour and she was sanctioned. That meant she could not be immoderate committee oregon committee meetings until June 30, 2025, and she was barred from sitting connected the audit committee, the Catholic Parent Involvement Committee and the governance committee until Nov. 15, 2026, which is the extremity of her word arsenic a trustee.

Doherty-Masters appealed that decision, but the committee "reconfirmed its earlier determination and the sanctions [were] imposed," the documents show.

"The applicant [Doherty-Masters] takes contented with the jurisdiction of the committee to person adjacent initiated their investigation, the process followed by the responsive [the Waterloo Catholic District School Board], the reasonableness of their decision, and the appropriateness and proportionality of the sanctions that they imposed," the tribunal documents say.

Judge says trustee prohibition lawsuit raises 'serious issues'

In his investigation successful granting a enactment successful Doherty-Masters's sanctions by the board, Krawchenko wrote, "I find that determination are galore precise superior issues and questions that request to beryllium addressed" astir the case.

Krawchenko said Doherty-Masters "would endure irreparable harm" if she continued to beryllium barred from meetings and doing her enactment arsenic a trustee.

CBC K-W reached retired to Doherty-Masters for remark but she said successful an email that she would not beryllium offering a remark connected the situation.

Doherty-Masters returned to her spot astatine the committee of trustees gathering connected Monday. 

Kraft said they were "pleased" to invited her backmost to the committee table.

Kraft added she does spot wherever determination is immoderate part betwixt trustees, but hopes they tin travel unneurotic to "create a way guardant wherever we tin get backmost to the shared things that we bash person successful common."

"Everyone does person a beardown tendency to spot pupil occurrence and achievement, and truthful conscionable uncovering the mode guardant and portion making definite each voices are heard," Kraft said.

"There's been a batch going connected with our board," Kraft said, adding it's clip to "perhaps enactment immoderate of the things that person happened successful the past and make a bully moving narration guardant arsenic champion we tin to get backmost to our cardinal focuses and halfway mandate arsenic trustees."