HALIFAX – Embattled Nova Scotia politician Trevor Zinck has resigned following his guilty plea in the MLA spending scandal earlier this week, and a threat from the premier to expel him from the legislature.
Zinck, the Independent MLA for Dartmouth North, pleaded guilty on Monday to fraud charges, but planned to continue serving in government.
Premier Darrell Dexter recalled the legislature earlier in the day Wednesday to expel Zinck.
“We believe that the transgressions that he’s been found guilty of are of great concern to the people of Nova Scotia. It’s unbecoming a member of the legislature and we thought it was in the best interest of all parties that we would make this move,” Government House Leader Frank Corbett said.
Zinck pleaded guilty Monday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court to breach of trust and fraud over $5,000 related to the province’s spending scandal that also embroiled three former politicians. A charge of theft of $5,000 was dropped.
Zinck was first elected as an NDP member in 2006 and re-elected in 2009. Dexter removed Zinck from NDP caucus in 2011, after he and three former MLAs were charged with several offences related to the misuse of taxpayers’ funds. He was the only sitting MLA to be charged in the scandal.
Zinck’s resignation comes four years to the day that the NDP came to office.
He is due to be sentenced on Aug. 7.
Richard Hurlburt, a former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, pleaded guilty in April 2012 to fraud and breach of trust for taking $25,321 between December 2006 and December 2008. He was sentenced to a year of house arrest.
David Wilson, a former chairman of the Liberal caucus, pleaded guilty to fraud, uttering forged documents and breach of trust in September 2011 in crimes that spread over five years. He was sentenced to nine months in jail and was released from custody after four months.
Russell MacKinnon, a former Liberal, pleaded guilty on April 12 to breach of trust, while one count of fraud and eight counts of uttering forged documents were withdrawn.
Like Zinck, MacKinnon changed his plea while his trial was underway. MacKinnon was sentenced to four months of house arrest, and four months of curfew.
*With files from Brett Ruskin The Canadian Press
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