(TORONTO, ON) – Education unions in Ontario are calling for the Minister of Education Paul Calandra to be put under supervision given recent activities, revealed by the Trillium, showing the Minister spending lavishly on travel to an international conference.
After putting numerous school boards under supervision for similar allegations, Calandra has been caught red-handed. Asked by the press why trustees are being restricted from attending conferences while he attended an education forum overseas, Calandra argued ‘the rules are for thee; not for me’, saying “The difference is, I’m the minister of the Crown.”
“Paul Calandra has been a disaster for education and is a complete hypocrite,” said Jenn Huang, with the
Fund Our Schools Campaign. “He’s done nothing but gut our children’s education by billions and used that
money for Gravy plane trips to the UK.”
It’s not the first time Calandra has been accused of financial impropriety. Last year, expense disclosures for the Minister showed he’s billed taxpayers tens of thousands dollars for “hospitality expenses” including $23,000 for a community BBQ in his riding, $2,200 for Strawberry pancakes and over $5,700 for stays in Toronto hotels. Calandra lives in Markham: a 20-30 minute drive from Toronto. Calandra has faced past allegations of fraud from his family surrounding his mother’s estate.
Education unions have been quick to show that Minister Calandra’s attacks have nothing to do with School
Board mismanagement – they are the result of billions in underfunding of our education system. Major cuts to our children’s education keep being announced, including yesterday when it was revealed 250 YRDSB
education worker positions are being eliminated. Previous announcements have revealed major cuts to
teachers, support staff, custodial staff, and programs to help marginalized students.
Currently 40% of school boards are grappling with a deficit with $6.3 billion effectively cut from the system
since 2018. The result has been catastrophic to the education system: larger class sizes, cuts to education
programs and classrooms that are like saunas every time the heat soars.
Eight School Board remain under supervision in Ontario, with some supervisors getting over $400,000 a year.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jennifer Huang – Toronto & York Region Labour Council
[email protected]
416-886-4082
