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Canadian cinema in focus next week
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INSIDE: Homeless numbers up 113% in Tri-Cities [pg. 8] / TC Sports [pg. 31] WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 Your community. Your stories.
TRI-CITY
NEWS
NOT JUST A JOG IN THE PARK
Staffer stole $175k from city of PoCo n Stolen money paid back to the city n Money taken over three-year period n Consultant looking at how it happened JANIS CLEUGH
The Tri-CiTy News
A Port Coquitlam city employee stole approximately $175,000 of taxpayers’ money by buying tools with a city-issued credit card and via the city’s purchasing system, then reselling them for personal gain, The Tri-City News has learned. Last week, the employee — whom city hall did not identify — resigned after making the final payment to the municipality to return the large sum of cash that was taken over a three-year period, said John Leeburn, PoCo’s chief administrative officer. On Monday, city managers were told about the theft and asked to relay the news to
their department staff by today (Wednesday), before an embargoed press release went out (see sidebar). Coquitlam RCMP was contacted “about a hypothetical situation involving employee theft or fraud,” media spokesperson Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said, but no formal complaint has been made by the municipality to date. Leeburn told The Tri-City News on Monday that Mounties may be called later this month when the results of the second part of the forensic review, which is examining how the employee theft happened and how it can be prevented in the future, are available.
see POCO THEFTS, page 7
And they’re off... The provincial election campaign kicked off yesterday. For snapshots of Tri-City candidates, see page 3
ROBERT MCDONALD PHOTO
Athletes braved cool, rainy weather on Saturday to take part in the annual Diez Vista Trail Race, which starts and ends at Sasamat Lake in Belcarra Regional Park and covers 6,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Some racers competed in the 50 km run while those in the 100 km category did the entire course twice. For more sports, see page 31.
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