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7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A ugust 4,2022 insidehalton.com 1459 NOTTINGHILL GATE, OAKVILLE 905-469-3232 | DELMANOR.COM CHOOSE YOUR LIFESTYLE. INDEPENDENT LIVING, SUPPORTIVE LIVING AND SHORT TERM STAYS The Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) has voted to bar one of its trustees from par- ticipating in meetings for the rest of the term. At a special board meeting on July 26, a five-to-three vote re- sulted in the sanctioning of Bur- lington trustee Vincent Iantoma- si, citing a breach of the trustee code of conduct. The decision prevents Iantomasi from attend- ing and participating in all HCDSB meetings until Nov. 15. The specific incidences result- ing in the sanction were not made public, as the board decided at an earlier meeting that the report detailing those incidences would remain in camera. As per policy I-36 Trustee Code of Conduct, the board, which created the report, is not required to make the report public -- only the vote and reso- lution on it. However, during the meetings Iantomasi has taken part in, he has had multiple disagreements with the board chair, some result- ing in calls to order and threats of being removed from the meeting. "The trustee that (these alle- gations are against) here has been spoken to several times. You don't have to look at too many meetings where you see that hap- pening. I don't think it's a secret," Burlington trustee Tim O'Brien said during the meeting. Iantomasi was not present at the meeting. When contacted for comment about the sanction fol- lowing the meeting, his wife re- sponded, saying, "Trustee Ianto- masi is currently recuperating from a medical issue and has not been able to devote himself to board matters due to complica- tions." "The decision and the sanc- tions, given the fact that he is on medical leave and was unable to defend himself, are unfortunate and disappointing. Had he been able to address the allegations as per his intentions, he would have done so," said Arlene Iantomasi. She indicated that Trustee Iantomasi has been unable to re- spond and was unaware the sanc- tion had been passed. "He has not been attending meetings, has not been on board email, and was unaware of any judgments against him. Further, he has received no correspon- dence, nor calls, from the Board or the Director's office advising him of proceedings," she contin- ued. Representatives with the board say Iantomasi was made aware of the motion that was passed in regard to the breach fol- lowing the May 24 special board meeting. The director's office in- dicates the information was shared via email. The ban effectively removes Iantomasi from the board for the rest of the term. The inaugural meeting for the new term of trust- ees is set for Nov. 15. Milton trustee Patrick Mur- phy said during the meeting he felt the penalty was warranted based on his reading of the re- port. "Out of 25 events, there were 13 that I viewed as a breach of the code of conduct, of which seven really were to me, which would be deemed appropriate to give a warning or censure. But then there was six that were more egregious," said Murphy. "So, this is not one incident. This is 25 incidences that were recorded just this year." Trustees Brenda Agnew, Nan- cy Guzzo, Patrick Murphy, Mar- vin Duarte and Janet O'Hearn- Czarnota voted in support of the sanction. Trustees Helena Kara- bela, Peter DeRosa and Tim O'Brien voted against. Two student trustees also vot- ed in support of the sanction. TRUSTEE BARRED FROM MEETINGS FOR CODE OF CONDUCT BREACH VINCENT IANTOMASI HCDSB photo ROLAND CILLIERS rcilliers@metroland.com NEWS "This is not one incident. This is 25 incidences that were recorded just this year." - trustee Patrick Murphy