Former executive director of Elizabeth Fry Society gets 60-day jail sentence for fraud

The former executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia has been sentenced to 60 days in jail, to be served intermittently, and three years probation for defrauding the non-profit organization of nearly $10,000.

Tammy Gloade, 53, of Dartmouth, pleaded guilty to one fraud and one forgery charge related to incidents between December 2015 and March 2017.

The Elizabeth Fry Society provides support and rehabilitation assistance to women and girls in trouble with the law. It is dependent on government funding and community donations to provide its programs.

According to court documents, Gloade took money from the society for her personal use, including funds earmarked for clients.

The bulk of the missing money was in the form of cheques forged by Gloade and altered invoices. In one case, the woman kept $4,280 paid by a client for rent in a room provided by the Elizabeth Fry Society.

The total amount of loss was $9,933.70, none of which has been recovered.

Gloade, who is from in Ontario, is of Mi'kmaw ancestry, although she did not follow its cultural and teaching traditions growing up.

'Very difficult and compromising situation'

She was entitled a Gladue report for sentencing purposes, Nova Scotia provincial court Judge Frank Hoskins said in a written decision issued this week. A Gladue report provides the court with background on Indigenous offenders' personal histories to be considered in sentencing.

"She is currently non-status under the Indian Act. However she is in the process of reinstating her Indigenous status within the family," Hoskins said in his sentencing decision.

He said the author of the report found Gloade is "engaged in Mi'kmaq culture and traditions, is seen as part of the community and will continue to receive support from the community."

Gloade and her family have lived on Millbrook First Nation, as well as off reserve, travelling through various places in Canada.

The Elizabeth Fry Society chose not to submit a victim impact statement and said it remains opposed to the use of incarceration as a means of punishment.

"It seems that the society has been put in a very difficult and compromising situation," Hoskins said.

Jail sentence to be served on weekends

The organization, which is "devoted to improving the lives of women in our province through building individual strength and capacity in all of the women they serve," was victimized by one of its own, he said.

Gloade told the court she committed the offences while she herself was in a vulnerable state. She said her marriage was failing and she was emotionally and financially stressed.

Gloade is serving her sentence on weekends at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility. She was also placed on probation for three years and ordered to make restitution to the Elizabeth Fry Society.

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