A dispute is growing between Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra and Peel District School Board trustee David Green over the use of a school portable by a community charity connected to Green.
According to Global News, the Peel District School Board’s government appointed supervisor wrote to Green on Friday, ordering him to stop using a portable at a Peel Region school to store items linked to Free For All Community Services. Green, a longtime Brampton trustee and current chair of the board, is also the executive director of the charity.
Calandra told Global News that the situation was unacceptable, saying the portable had allegedly been used for storage by an organization connected to a trustee for about a decade without payment. The minister said the board has asked Green to vacate the portable so it can be used for school related needs.
The letter gives Green 60 days to remove all items connected to Free For All Community Services from the school property. It also states that a formal review has been launched into the arrangement. Green told Global News he does not plan to fight the deadline.
Green said the arrangement was not personal and involved the charity he represents. He said Free For All had been using the portable since around 2010 as part of a long standing understanding with the board, while also providing free programs to families at the school. He said the stored items included football equipment, computers and barbecue supplies used for community programming.
Both Calandra and the board supervisor said they were having difficulty locating an official signed lease for the portable. Green provided Global News with an unsigned version of an agreement that appeared to date back to 2010.
Green suggested he may be facing added scrutiny because of his criticism of the provincial government’s decision to place the Peel District School Board under supervision. He denied that his trustee role created a conflict, arguing that the arrangement was between the board and the charity, not with him personally.
The dispute comes as Queen’s Park continues to tighten oversight of several Ontario school boards. Since becoming education minister, Calandra has placed multiple boards under supervision and introduced legislation that would reduce trustee pay and responsibilities. More Ontario education and community coverage can be found at https://www.weeklyvoice.com and through the Canada section at https://www.weeklyvoice.com/category/canada.
