Meet the members of the Finance and Audit Committee


    The 2020-2021 Finance and Audit Committee members are Trustees Neil Vadeboncoeur, Chair, Josie Landry and Robert Page. This Committee meets regularly throughout the year and is supported by Marna Kenny, the Louis Riel School Division’s (LRSD) Secretary-Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, and Susan Potter, the Recording Secretary. 
     
    “Our Committee has an important oversight role that they take very seriously to ensure the Board is kept informed on financial, audit, and other related matters,” said Marna Kenny. 
      
    The Committee helps create the annual budget and selection of auditors to perform the annual audit. They also provide input on administrative policies related to investment, banking, risk management, tendering and purchasing.   
     
    Considering the LRSD’s operating budget is close to $200 million a year, the Committee plays an important role in ensuring the most efficient and ethical use of these financial resources. 
     
    “The budget is a key responsibility of the LRSD Board of Trustees and some of the most challenging work for the LRSD Senior Leadership Team. Preparing the budget requires great care to meet the needs of our local community, the needs of our system and staff, and the need for reasonable taxation,” said Louise Johnston, Chair, LRSD Board of Trustees. “My passion is driven by the complexity of this work, the dialogue that I have with our community, the discussions we have through our public budget consultation and feedback from everyone that is involved in this division.” 
     
    The Finance and Audit Committee is committed to community consultation. It meets with stakeholders in November of each year (when not in a pandemic) to gather information and receive feedback on what the community values to provide the highest level of education and services for our more than 15,500 learners. The Committee also organizes a public budget consultation each year to present the draft budget and receive feedback before finalizing and submitting it to the province on March 15. 
     
    “The COVID-19 pandemic has required huge shifts in schooling over the last few months, and I am proud of how the Superintendent, the Senior Leadership Team, and the entire division has responded to meet the many needs of our staff, students and families,” said Neil Vadeboncoeur. “I would also like to acknowledge the long hours the LRSD Secretary-Treasurer and her department have put into managing pandemic expenses on top of all the other tasks required to put a budget together.” 
     
    This year, the public budget consultation will occur virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from 6:30 to 8:30. 

    You can register for the online event at Eventbrite. 
     
    This story is part of a series posted in advance of the Draft Budget Public Consultation Live Event. These stories are being shared with our community to provide insight and transparency on how the yearly LRSD budget is prepared and finalized. We encourage all members of community to let us know their thoughts by participating in this Thoughtexchange. 
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