Catholic School Spends Public Money on iPods and Online Gambling

Auditors for a Toronto catholic school discovered that trustees were using public money to purchase iPods and gambling online according to a report in the Canadian Press.

They (the trustees) "failed to answer for all of their expenses," and now the Toronto police have been called in.

"Over the past five years, trustees claimed more than $10,000 that they should not have, including $918 by onPoste member who has yet to pay back the money he or she used to buy a gold ring, a sun lamp and a personalized licence plate, according to the Ernst & Young report, commissioned by the Ministry of Education," says the story

"The rest of that money has been reimbursed, but there is another $19,434 that remains unexplained, and potentially inappropriate ..."

The $250,000 audit, "comes 11 months after the Toronto Sun began reporting trustee expenses were used for everything from Caribbean vacations, booze and late-night meals," a report in the Toronto Sun points out.

"It's really distressing, the whole issue is distressing, that people didn't see that there was abuse of the public purse going on," Wynne said.

"The fact that we have to have this report is really disheartening, having said that it's also instructive."

Payton O'Brien, Gambling911.com