Brantford, Ont., trustees spent $50K on flights, hotels, gourmet meals for Italy art-buying trip

Receipts show trustees spent lavishly on food, lodging, and airfare

Brantford, Ont., trustees spent $50,000 on flights, hotels, and gourmet meals during a trip to Italy to buy art for the city’s new civic centre, according to receipts obtained by The Brantford Expositor.

The trip, which took place in October 2022, was led by then-board chair John Bradford and included trustees Catherine Hart and John Utley. The trustees were accompanied by city staff, including the city’s chief administrative officer, Peter Kimberley.

Trustees spent $10,000 on airfare, $20,000 on hotels, and $20,000 on meals

The receipts show that the trustees spent $10,000 on airfare, $20,000 on hotels, and $20,000 on meals. The meals included dinners at some of Rome’s most expensive restaurants, including La Pergola, which has three Michelin stars.

The trustees also spent $5,000 on a private tour of the Vatican Museums and $2,000 on a cooking class.

The trip has been criticized by some members of the public, who say that the trustees spent too much money on a non-essential trip.

However, Bradford has defended the trip, saying that it was necessary to purchase art for the new civic centre. He also said that the trustees stayed in modest hotels and ate at reasonable restaurants.

“We did not go on a luxury trip,” Bradford said. “We went to do a job for the city of Brantford.”