The Thames Valley District School Board in Ontario has been awarded the 2025 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression. The board refused to release information about its art collection, citing safety concerns, even though the average value of its paintings is about $360.
Background of the Award
The Code of Silence Awards are presented annually to government or publicly funded agencies that actively hide information the public is entitled to access under freedom of information legislation. Last year's municipal winner was Vancouver Coastal Health, recognized for routinely breaking access-to-information laws during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Freedom of Information Request
CBC reporter Colin Butler filed a freedom-of-information request to learn more about the Thames Valley District School Board's art collection. The board refused to disclose the records, citing legal exemptions for documents whose release could “reasonably be expected to seriously threaten the safety or health of an individual.”
It took a second request for CBC to obtain the total appraised value of the board's art. The figures revealed that the collection, far from containing priceless masterpieces, had an average value of about $360 per painting. The board is one of five in Ontario under provincial supervision due to poor financial management, and another school board in the province has a $10 million art collection.
Reaction from the Centre for Free Expression
“It is shocking that the Thames Valley District School Board declined to provide information to the public about its modest art collection — likely consisting of items donated by the public and maintained at public expense,” said James L. Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression. “This is an extreme version of the secrecy mentality that grips too many public institutions that seem not to understand their obligations to the public in a democratic society.”
Next Steps
Nominations for the 2026 Code of Silence Awards will open in September 2026.
