By Celeste Percy-Beauregard, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator
A Catholic school board trustee who spent more than $10,000 in taxpayer dollars on a controversial trip to Italy has stepped down.
The Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board announced Mark Watson’s resignation on Friday, just days after Education Minister Paul Calandra brought forward a bill to oust him.
The Respect for Taxpayers Act (Haldimand County Trustee Vacancy) bill, if passed, would have immediately vacated Watson’s seat and prevented him from running for an Ontario school board until November 2030.
“It is unfortunate our government had to introduce legislation for Mr. Watson to finally do the right thing,” Calandra told The Spectator in a statement.
Despite the “long-overdue” resignation, Calandra said he still expects Watson to pay back the “thousands in taxpayer dollars” he owes the board, noting it should go to student achievement, not “lavish … European summer vacations for out-of-touch school board trustees.”
The bill “will continue through the legislative process and stands as a clear message that our government will always protect accountability and integrity in education,” his statement said.
A former Catholic school principal of 21 years, Watson has been the trustee representing Haldimand County since 2018.
He was one of four trustees who took a $50,000 trip to Italy to purchase $100,000 in artwork for the board.
In April, following a governance review, Calandra recommended the four trustees repay the funds to the board within 30 days.
Rick Petrella, Dan Dignard and Bill Chopp repaid in full.
But as of April, Watson had only repaid $1,216 of the $12,370 he agreed to. It’s unclear if he has repaid additional funds since then.
Watson has not responded to The Spectator’s requests for an interview.
“We respect Trustee Watson’s decision to step down from the Board and will move forward, collaboratively, with a continued focus on teaching and learning, student well-being, and the strategic priorities that guide our Catholic school system,” board chair Carol Luciani said in a statement Friday.
His resignation will be approved at a board meeting on Oct. 28. At that time, the board will decide how to fill the vacancy, according to a board statement.
The board can choose to appoint “a qualified person” within 90 days, according to the Ontario Education Services Corporation’s “Good Governance” guide.
It could appoint last election’s runner-up for the Haldimand seat, invite people to apply for the position or offer the seat to a community member.
Alternatively, the board could hold a byelection, in which case a municipal clerk would set nomination and voting dates, the guide said.
The board is already down a trustee, as Petrella, who was chair at the time of the Italy trip, went on an unpaid leave as of April.
“I wish we would have heard from Mark Watson prior to his resignation. I believe he might have something to say, and we haven’t heard from him,” Haldimand—Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady said in a statement to The Spectator.
In November, Brady had asked the provincial government to “pick up the phone to call the school board and tell these four trustees their service is no longer needed.”
Brady expressed “regret it’s come to this,” but called it “the right move” — even though “the taxpayer is still going to wonder where the money is.”
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