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Niagara Hilton trumps new Ed Centre for principals’ powwow
(Hamilton Mountain News, Richard Leitner, Feb 5 2015)

The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board says it spent $72,000 to send principals to a two-day professional development conference at the Niagara Falls Hilton because it didn’t want to “monopolize” meeting rooms at its new Education Centre.

Manny Figueiredo, executive superintendent of leadership and learning, said using the $31.6-million Education Centre also wouldn’t have allowed for the team-building that occurred at the overnight powwow, held Jan. 22-23 at the hotel, connected to Fallsview Casino by an indoor walkway.

He said the conference, titled Leading Complex Change, is an annual professional development event that is traditionally held in Niagara Falls and part of the employment contract for principals.

Among the justifications the board repeatedly offered for building the new Education Centre, located near Lime Ridge Mall, was that it could reduce expenses by accommodating staff training in one spot.

Figueiredo said the centre is fulfilling that role, but is booked solid and space would be “tight” for the principals’ conference because of the need for multiple breakout rooms.

“We don’t want to monopolize the (centre’s) time because we have a lot of small groups using the staff-development area,” he said, adding the overnight conference offers other benefits.

“There’s an informal aspect of people networking and socializing and getting to build that sense of community and wellness as well. That’s important for us.”


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