Blake Ellis/The Independent

Lambton Kent District School Board has a completely rewritten its travel expense rules in the wake of three educators trip to Hawaii for a conference. .
Trustees passed the new regulation at the Feb. 11 school board meeting for approval of travel outside of Ontario.
Three Indigenous educators travelled to Hawaii in January 2024 for a conference at a cost of $32,000. The conference was touted as having “unique land-based learning experiences on the island and had the rare opportunity to connect with and learn from esteemed elders.”
It did not come to light until November when CBC obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act about the trip. It drew the ire of the Education Minister who said the trip would be investigated. Ministry officials later said the board would be expected to follow new legislation to provide a biannual report on expenses on the board’s website. The new Lambton-Kent regulation appears to go above and beyond the Better Schools Act, reporting to trustees quarterly.
The whole spirit of the new regulation involves “transparency and the appropriate use of board funds,” said Director of Education John Howitt.
In presenting this new travel regulation, Associate Director of Corporate Services Brian McKay said this was “a complete rewrite.”
According to the new rules, all travel within Canada or within the continental United States must be pre-approved by the executive council which includes the director of education, associate director of corporate services and the board’s five superintendents of education.
If the trip is being made internationally or within the non-continental United States, the executive council will review the request with the director of education giving the final approval. If it is the director of education travelling, approval will be given by the school board chair.
Allowable travel expenses include registration fees for conferences training or workshops, hotel room charges for accommodations in a standard room, transportation, meals, business telephone calls, taxi or ride sharing services, parking and toll road fees as well as other business expenses.
Items which not be covered include recreational costs, movies and entertainment, alcoholic beverages, increased costs as the result of bringing a guest, upgraded rooms, parking or traffic tickets, personal automobile expenses, mobile device accessories and gift cards or certificates.
There’s also new rules for car rentals. “Transportation is expected to be arranged using the most economical mode of transportation,” according to the policy which adds share transportation must be used. The board was billed over $4,000 in mileage and car rental costs from the Hawaii conference, including for two vehicle rentals.
McKay will provide a report about all travel made outside of the Ontario to trustees on a quarterly basis which will be availbe on the board’s website. That report hasn’t been designed yet, said McKay but will centre on the cost of any travel or conferences that has taken place. Even trips which have been approved but have not yet taken place will be included in the report.
The identity of any staff member attending these events will not be revealed.
Trustee Malinda Little said the new regulation follows a lot of the ministry of education guidelines and Canadian Revenue Agency regulations.