Former Woolwich mayor Todd Cowan has been charged with fraud under $5,000 and breach of trust in relation to his expense claims.
The charges announced February 6 followed an investigation conducted by members of the Ontario Provincial Police Anti-Rackets Branch. Initially investigated by Waterloo Regional Police, the case was turned over to the provincial force in October.
Cowan, 50, came under scrutiny last year after a review found he submitted expense claims resulting in a double reimbursement of more than $2,700. Expenses related to conferences, mileage and meals charged on the mayor’s township credit card were also filed with the Region of Waterloo. As mayor, Cowan served as Woolwich’s representative on regional council.
A review began last July when a citizen got Cowan’s expense records from the region at the end of June, submitted a request under freedom of information legislation for the mayor’s township expenses and then supplied the township with the region’s records. An internal review by both municipalities was followed by an external investigation led by municipal law expert John Mascarin of the firm of Aird & Berlis LLP.
Cowan paid back a total of $2,770.68 in August, calling the issue a mistake based on his own poor accounting.
The review found six incidents of double reimbursement between January 2012 and February 2014, the two largest amounting to more than $1,000 for an Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference in Ottawa in August 2013 and a Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference in Toronto last February.
The investigation grew a little wider in September with the referral to police of mileage claims related to the Cowan’s attendance of Grand River Conservation Authority meetings.
The GRCA expenses having been sent to the township, a staff review found $465 in mileage claims that may have been double-billed, as was the case with some $2,700 in expenses paid by Woolwich but also reimbursed to Cowan by the Region of Waterloo. The review looked at mileage claims submitted to the township that coincided with GRCA meetings.
Cowan is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice located in Kitchener on March 3.
