Former Summerside councillor pleads guilty to stealing from veterans

Former Summerside city councillor Barb Gallant pleaded guilty in provincial court Wednesday to theft over $5,000, four months after she was charged with stealing money from the Lest We Forget Veterans Committee.

Her sentencing hearing is being scheduled for November.

Gallant was accused of taking the money between Feb. 13, 2022, and Nov. 27, 2023, while she worked in an unpaid position as the Lest We Forget committee's executive director. She is a certified aesthetician by profession.

A charge of fraud under $5,000 was added in July, but that charge was stayed on Wednesday.

Gallant sat in the front row of the courtroom during the proceedings with her lawyer, Peter Ghiz. 

Two rows behind her were three veterans wearing black T-shirts with red lettering saying "Justice for Veterans."

The guilty plea means the case will not go to trial. The parties are due back in court on Nov. 19 at 9 a.m. for the presentation of a pre-sentence report, submissions from both sides, victim impact statements from the veterans, and sentencing arguments. 

Judge Krista MacKay told Gallant her sentence could range from a fine to probation to time in custody.

The Lest We Forget Veterans Committee describes itself on Facebook as "a non-profit organization committed to serving P.E.I. veterans."

In early 2022, it received $400,000 in federal funding "to improve the economic security of women and LGBTQ veterans on P.E.I. [and] develop a Veteran Success Centre to support veterans through entrepreneurship and employability programs, employment support services, translation services, career counselling and mentoring services."

Removed from council 

Gallant was elected to Summerside's municipal council in November 2022. Under P.E.I.'s Municipal Government Act, she could not be removed from her position on council until or unless she was convicted of a crime.

However, she was voted off council on June 18 on the grounds that she had missed three consecutive council meetings after being charged with the theft offence in April.

A byelection will be held on Oct. 7 to fill Gallant's former seat in Summerside's Ward 5.