The Laval municipal councilor who bought groceries at Costco and $16,000 worth of Apple devices with public funds also made questionable expenses at the expense of the school board he chairs.
Our Bureau of Investigation discovered that in June 2022, Paolo Galati used his Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board credit card to purchase $6,100 worth of Apple products.
He thus purchased a MacBook Pro for $3,149, AppleCare protection for $299, an iPhone for $1,809 and a case for $69, according to invoices obtained through a request for access to information.
However, neither the general management nor the commissioners had previously approved this expense, admits the general director of the school board, Russell Copeman, in an email.
Paolo Galati thus found himself in possession of four Apple computers and two iPhones paid for by taxpayers, namely:
– The computer, the phone and a case, which he purchased without authorization in June 2022 even though he had another MacBook Pro from the school board since 2018.
– An iMac at $3,079 and an iPhone 12 at $1,809 purchased at the end of 2020, as well as a MacBook Pro at $3,249 purchased in December 2023 with the City of Laval’s budget. He also purchased two other iPhone 12 cases in August 2022 and March 2023 and paid $365 to have his phone repaired.
“His preference”
These devices are in addition to the Apple watch at $1,049, the iPad Pro and its keyboard, the two Apple Pencils and the Airpods Pro headphones at $329, also paid for from the research budget and support for Laval elected officials.
Questioned by our Bureau of Investigation, Mr. Galati did not want to explain why he needed four computers, two telephones and three iPhone cases.
However, the school board provides “Windows laptops” to each commissioner. But Mr. Galati had requisitioned, in 2018, a MacBook already in stock, “because it was his preference”, specifies Maxeen Jolin, director of communications.
Without permission
Mr. Galati did not respond to our calls, but explained to us via SMS message that he had purchased a second computer in 2022 at the expense of the school board following a “recommendation” from the IT department.
Verification made: Mr. Galati instead contacted information services to check whether the Macbook Pro he intended to purchase was compatible with the school board’s computer systems. “These were technical questions,” says Mr. Copeman. Mr Galati did not explain why he had not brought back the first computer in 2022.
As for his two cell phones, both the City and the school board reimburse him for a telephone line. However, Galati always seems to use the same number, both for his functions as municipal elected official and school elected official.
In the wake of our revelations about his expenses at the City, Mr. Galati announced that he had withdrawn from the opposition party Action Laval and that he will not run for president in the school elections next November.
The two MacBook Pros were returned to the school board on September 24 and the iPhone will be returned as soon as the new president is in office in November, confirms Mme Jolin.
Do you have any information to share with us about this story?
Write to us at or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.
