Toronto District School Board donated thousands to charity set up by chair

The Toronto District School Board has dispersed tens of thousands of dollars in provincial government funding to a charitable organization founded by board chair Chris Bolton, The Globe and Mail has learned.

Friends of Community Schools, founded by Mr. Bolton in 1996, is one of dozens of charitable groups that has received money from a provincially funded program operated by the TDSB, according to documents obtained by The Globe. Mr. Bolton did not officially declare his potential conflict of interest.

Mr. Bolton stepped down as a trustee of Friends of Community Schools in December, 2010, when he became chairman of the TDSB. He maintains close ties to Friends of Community Schools through his live-in partner, Terry Ross, chairman and president of the charity. The couple’s Toronto residence is listed as the charity’s address.

Prior to 2010, Mr. Bolton’s multiple roles placed him in a potential conflict. Not only was he vice-chair of the TDSB while he was a trustee of the charity, he also sat on a steering committee that decided which charities received funding from a TDSB program. When asked if he made a formal declaration to the school board about his role in the charity at that time, Mr. Bolton said he did not, adding there were no rules requiring him to do so.  (more...)

Toronto District School Board donated thousands to charity set up by chair

H/T to Socialist Studies, who knows

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