News: Province announces millions for aboriginal job training page 7 The arts: Queen Margaret’s lets Cagebirds fly in upcoming drama page 21 For all the news of the Cowichan region as it happens, plus stories from around British Columbia, go to our website www.cowichannewsleader.com Your news leader since 1905
Friday, March 29, 2013
CVRD decides to spend more in Änal budget $14-million hike: Late push to slash spending turned into small increase instead Ross Armour
News Leader Pictorial
A Andrew Leong
The Easter Bunny prepares for the B.C. Forest Discovery Centre’s annual Easter Eggtravaganza scavenger hunt on Sunday, March 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a list of local Easter events, check the Town Crier on page 23.
Former receptionist convicted of stealing $200,000 Guilty verdict: Ernestine Elliott convicted of diverting salmon enhancement funds to herself Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
A
guilty verdict was imposed Tuesday in Duncan Provincial Court against a former Cowichan Tribes receptionist/bookkeeper for bilking the band’s Salmon Enhancement Project of approximately $200,000 over three years. Ernestine Elliott showed no emotion after Judge Adrian Brooks, appearing via video from
Victoria, announced she was criminally responsible on a charge of theft over $5,000. A pre-sentence report has been ordered. That will determine sentencing recommendations when the parties return to court June 4. “Mrs. Elliott has no criminal record,’’ defence counsel Scott Sheets pointed out, although he conceded the amounts involved were signi¿cant. Brooks weighed through the evidence presented by the defence in previous court appearances and dismissed all of it. “There is no reasonable doubt,’’ he declared. “There is no sense to the evidence of Ernestine Elliott. It is, in fact, nonsense.’’ The charges against Elliott stemmed from the theft of money from the Salmon Enhancement Project between May 2004 and June 2007.
A mistrial was previously declared last year when Judge Josiah Wood concluded a different judge should hear the case after the defence raised an issue about the validity of a document presented by the court during the investigative stage of the case. Brooks said Elliott wrote more than 250 cheques to herself during the time period in question. “The money from those cheques was deposited in her personal account,’’ he indicated. Brooks said Elliott previously testi¿ed money was owed to her for extra work and administrative fees not paid by the Tribes. But he rejected that claim. “She suggested her role went beyond that of a receptionist. But there was nothing for funds to be paid to her directly.’’
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fter more than ¿ve hours of talks Wednesday night, the Cowichan Valley Regional District decided a $14-million hike from last year’s budget wasn’t quite enough. At a special board meeting speci¿cally to complete the budget, an additional $15,000 was added, mostly in order to squeeze in a few additional grants-inaid. Additional grant-in-aid allocations now part of the $84.8 million budget include $25,000 to Film Cowichan, $25,000 to the Wild¿re Protection Plan and $10,000 to the Woodstove Exchange Program. These were partially offset by the elimination of a planned new communications of¿cer position. Shawnigan Lake Director Bruce Fraser tried numerous times to persuade his peers to cut the budget, but his efforts were in vain. “We seem to proceed only in increments to the budget. We need to be much more ¿scally responsible to the taxpayers. What we’ve chosen to do is only argue about value,” said Fraser at the meeting. “Personally, I think these items have value, but the question is not about value. It’s our responsibility to the public to not keep adding without asking them ¿rst. We have to ask ourselves what we forego.” Fraser tried to cap grants-in-aid at $200,000, subtracting over $400,000 from the eventual $625,550 total, but was only backed by Mill Bay Director Mike Walker and North Oyster Director Mary Marcotte. Saltair/Gulf Islands Director Mel Dorey was keen to see the maximum grant amount added to the pot. “Society is getting left behind and needs assistance,” said Dorey. “The federal and provincial governments are not doing enough. We need to support the people, move on and come up with a plan.” Cobble Hill Director Gerry Giles was of a similar opinion. “The service provided by these groups, such as Cowichan Family Care, the arts council, the Fire Chiefs’ Association and the Cowichan Sportsplex, improves our life many times over,” she said. “I believe their bene¿t to the community is something we can’t do without.” more on psge 3
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