Catholic chair faces independent investigation
Huibers visited Caribbean following warning not to travel
An investigator will look into the conduct of Niagara Catholic District School Board chair Larry Huibers, who went on a sixday business trip to Saint Martin in January.
Huibers, a St. Catharines trustee, visited the Caribbean country Jan. 3 to 9 — after the board sent a memo to its teachers advising against travelling outside the country due to the country’s advi- sory against non-essential international travel in place at the time.
Trustees voted Tuesday night to direct the board’s legal counsel to oversee an independent investigation of Huibers’ actions. The probe is to be conducted by an external investigator, selected by the board’s legal counsel.
The motion to do that, moved by St. Catharines trustee Kathy Burtnik and seconded by Niagara Falls trustee and board vicechair Daniel Moody, was approved by trustees after they emerged from an in-camera discussion.
Trustees contacted by the St. Catharines Standard on Thursday would not discuss the board’s decision.
In an interview earlier this week, Huibers described his trip as essential, because he is the manager of a sailing club and he needed to take care of
“technical things that need to be done on the boat” and collect six suitcases of gear belonging to the club.
He said there was “no one else” to handle the matter.
Huibers said he followed all safety protocols and isolated upon his return to Canada.
The Standard obtained a copy of a Dec. 15 memo from the board’s superintendent of human resources services, Pat Rocca, advising staff they are expected “not to travel outside of Canada, except in the case of an emergency.”
“Staff who travel internationally over the holidays are expected to self-isolate for the 14-day isolation period upon return,” the memo stated, adding staff who opt to travel for non-essential reasons and need to isolate beyond Jan. 4 “will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence for the remainder of the isolation period.”
Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OETCA) Niagara elementary unit president Marie Balanowski said teachers have contacted her to complain about the apparent double standard for elected trustees.
“I have heard concerns from some people that this occurred when staff were given a travel advisory memo,” she said.
OECTA Niagara secondary unit president Lisa Bowers said the “school board has internal processes in place to determine any potential code of conduct breach, and that process must be allowed to unfold.”
“The bigger issue continues to be the safety of Niagara schools for in-person learning, and the (Premier Doug) Ford government’s decision to reopen schools without putting in place key measures, including improved ventilation and lower class sizes to ensure physical distancing,” Bowers said.
“Catholic teachers in Niagara desperately need the government to step up and do what is necessary to make our schools safe and sustainable over the long run.”