TORONTO – As this article unfolds, you will ask yourself whether you should laugh or cry. Choose the latter because you can at least begin to understand how exposed to ill will our socio-cultural assets are, especially when those to whom we entrust the care of our children is concerned.
To begin, we are talking about a unique “separate, Catholic, school system” with Constitutional guarantees, recognized under the Charter of Rights and Freedom, affirmed by the Education Act and the Human Rights Codes. Combined “their job” is to protect the interests of Catholic parents. Some of the trustees elected for that purpose appear uncomfortable with the obligations such a system demands they respect.
On May 16, a “special meeting” of the TCDSB, will take place, in public session (search on https://www.tcdsb.org/ for the agenda). For the second year in a row, the board is facing severe enrollment shortages of close to 5,000 last year and a further projected loss of 3,000 for this coming September.
Everyone of those students represents a revenue shortfall of approximately $14,500.00, for a total deficit of $116 Million. Teacher lay-offs are sure to follow. Educational development charges (revenue from developers and builders) will disappear, as will surely hard academic courses preparing our children for the world of work.
That is not what concerns “the Board”. Instead, it will deliberate a Report by Principles Integrity, its Integrity Commissioner (IC) who adjudicates and/or investigates transgressions of acceptable conduct by trustees (not academic or corporate, commercial, staff). The 45-page Report reads like a job application for the IC who appears to want to impress on trustees its usefulness to them.
One can be forgiven if a conclusion is that the IC may be in a direct conflict given that its job is on the line. First, a disclaimer, the Corriere Canadese and its publisher are in Court against the four trustees who caused the investigation to be launched.
Those four (De Domenico, Di Pasquale, Li Preti and Rizzo) took offense that the Corriere reported that their colleagues had had enough of their nonsense and voted them out of any positions of responsibility. They rushed to weaponize the mentioned IC (who in theory answers, and is responsible exclusively, to trustees on the Board) on their behalf. He obliged.
The IC is operating on an expired, unrenewed, contract (October 1,2021). In January, on a Motion presented by trustee D. Di Giorgio, and approved by a majority vote, Trustees directed the Administration to begin the process for replacing the IC. Principles Integrity, nonetheless, continued with its “comprehensive, deep dive” (emphases added) investigation into trustee Di Giorgio’s alleged transgressions.
What did he do wrong, you ask? He spoke to the Corriere Canadese to confirm what several other trustees had already shared with the Corriere about the secret negotiations that preceded the November caucus meeting leading to the election of the Chair and other Committee positions. The Corriere reflected the language used by trustees; but it incorrectly attributed to trustee Di Giorgio one of the many epithets his colleagues uttered. We corrected the error immediately online and in hard copy the next day.
The IC never called the Corriere to verify anything related to the allegations of misconduct. One would have expected more from a Commissioner who claims to have a contract worth $63,500 per annum and charges $230 per hour.
A call to the Corriere would have been the least any serious investigator would have felt compelled to do if he intended to name the paper and/or its publisher in its now public report, or if he/she were interested in verifying the facts as they related to the allegations.
For the readers of the Corriere our interest in the deliberations of the TCDSB (garnered through live presence at the meetings, video recordings and conversations with trustees) will not be a secret. We have alerted Catholic electors of the erosion of their rights by the four trustees and their allies. It seems to us that the Report is a “punishment” visited on trustees who talk to the Corriere, and a “hatchet job” on Di Giorgio by proxy.
Who are these people?
Rizzo’s legal eligibility to hold office continues to be questioned (by us and others); yet recently, the Communications department approved the sending of her 17-page “newsletter” (full colour campaign brochure) to the parents of the children in the schools of her Ward.
Li Preti is a Provincial Liberal candidate who has accused the TCDSB of systemic homophobia (no evidence provided) and the Cardinal archbishop of being “light” in his understanding of true Catholicism. She continues her position on the Board.
De Domenico (in the pic below, from Twitter) is a self-declared expert on the validity of the Bible and the Gospels. Email copies of his disparaging remark to constituents and his behaviour towards delegators to the Board is at the least intolerant and intolerable. He has launched a Go Fund me campaign to secure funds for his re-election after having been spurned by the provincial parties, both Liberal and Conservative.
Di Pasquale finds the Catechism a dangerous document but promotes the linking of a website counselling prostitution on the TCDSB site. He sought, unsuccessfully, to secure victory as an NDP candidate in the last federal election. He did not withdraw from the Board. He has evidently expressed interest in replacing City Councillor Krysten Wong-Tam (his ally and virulent anti-Catholic) at the City, should she succeed in her Provincial quest.
Hang in there Mr. Di Giorgio, if your colleagues have brains and a minimum of self respect, they will vote down this “Report”.