Criminal charges dropped on day ex-trustee wins award
Moments after Howard Goodman was cleared of criminal harassment and forcible confinement charges, it was announced he’d won an award for “outstanding service” by Ontario school boards.
Goodman is being awarded the “Dr. Harry Paikin Award of Merit for outstanding service as public school trustee” by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, a distinction made public after a courtroom heard there was no prospect of a conviction on the two charges.
Crown attorney Anna Stanford described the former Toronto trustee’s behaviour as “inappropriate” and “overly aggressive” — but not criminal.
Charges were laid against Goodman last November after alleged incidents involving Donna Quan, director of education for the Toronto District School Board, that began in September 2013. He did not run for re-election last fall.
In an email obtained by the Star, sent to supporters after Wednesday’s court appearance, Goodman said it “has been a tough seven months” for him and his family, and he thanked them for their help that “kept us positive in some of our darker moments.”
Goodman was the trustee for Eglinton-Lawrence for more than a decade.
His lawyer, Mark Sandler, told court that “as a trustee, he insisted on honesty, transparency and accountability from all (board) staff, including… Quan, not only in relation to her undisclosed employment contract but on a number of issues. He was undoubtedly a ‘thorn in her side.’ ”
The confinement charge stems from a confrontation in Quan’s office in January 2014, after Goodman was upset to learn an audit committee meeting had been postponed.
“There was no credible evidence that Mr. Goodman ever prevented or attempted to prevent Ms. Quan from leaving,” Sandler said in his written comments provided to the Star.
Sandler also said the charges, which came months later, deflected attention and “silenced an important voice, when it was important that that voice be heard.”
In an emailed statement, Quan said she “brought forward concerns based on what I had experienced firsthand and on what others had reported.
“The conduct was considered to be serious enough that police were notified and subsequently resulted in charges being laid,” she added. “In the end, it is up to the Crown to determine the probability of a conviction, and I respect their decision.”
Goodman has told the Star about a confrontation in December 2013, after which he emailed Quan, writing: “I realize that my behaviour might have caused you some discomfort… I have no doubt that my tone was harsher and louder than I would have liked it to be. For that, I unreservedly apologize.”
The public school boards’ award to Goodman is one of several to be given out this weekend to people who work “every day to make our schools and education system world-class.” Goodman was nominated by a group that included Toronto Trustee Shelley Laskin and former mayor David Crombie. Goodman was behind a comprehensive concussion policy adopted by the Toronto school board, believed to be the first of its kind in Canada.