Crown concerned about delays in former IWK official's criminal case

The Nova Scotia Crown attorney prosecuting the criminal case against the IWK Health Centre's former top financial official says he has concerns about delays with the process.

Peter Dostal made a point of informing a Halifax provincial court judge Monday about the progress of disclosure since the matter was first in court last December. The accused, Stephen D'Arcy, has yet to make an election and enter a plea.

Dostal said outside the courtroom it's been at least a month since the defence received "all relevant materials in our possession," a timeframe generally sufficient for an accused to decide on election and plea.

D'Arcy faces charges of breach of trust, unauthorized use of a computer and mischief to data. As has been the case so far, D'Arcy was not in court Monday, nor was his Toronto-based lawyer, Christi Hunter, who instead was represented by a designated agent.

Dostal said the only caveat raised by defence with him was "the possibility of some further discussion."

"Where we're looking at a relatively lengthy trial, if they're looking to potentially approach us to either streamline any hearing or potentially resolve it with a guilty plea, it's something we're open [to.] I think it's something that we're obliged to consider just to make sure that we're not scheduling [court] time that's ultimately not needed."

Dostal said unless something changes, he'd be asking that D'Arcy or his lawyer make an election and plea during the next appearance in June "regardless of the defence's position."

"We're accruing a fair amount of delay on this matter so far."

Former CEO also due in court

D'Arcy stepped down from his job as chief financial officer at the IWK in September 2017 following revelations he was involved with inaccurate and inappropriate expense reports for then-CEO Tracy Kitch. Just weeks before stepping down from his post, D'Arcy repaid the hospital almost $17,000 for expenses related to his job.

Kitch resigned in August 2017 after it was revealed she billed $47,000 in personal charges to the hospital, including travel and hotel fees for family members. Kitch faces charges of fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust.

She has yet to enter a plea and her matter is due back in court next month.

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