An employee with the City of Kawartha Lakes faces theft charges following a lengthy investigation.
According to the City of Kawartha Lakes Police Service, in February police launched an investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds from the Kawartha Lakes Housing Corporation, which provides affordable rental housing for seniors, adults and families in the municipality.
Police allege that between July 2019 and February 2020, a municipal employee stole over $50,000 from cash deposits.
The City of Kawartha Lakes says the employee worked in the Human Services Department.
On Thursday, the investigation led to the arrest of a woman.
Bernadette Huron-Legate, 41, of Lindsay has been charged with one count of the theft over $5,000.
She was released and is scheduled to appear in court in Lindsay on Oct. 29.
In a statement, Ron Taylor, the municipality’s chief administrative officer, said Huron-Legate’s employment was terminated in February
“I want to assure the public that instances such as this are extremely rare,” he stated. “We are diligent in following preventative procedures and investigating any irregularities regarding city finances. We have increased internal controls to ensure that Kawartha Lakes continues to be a zero tolerance workplace for behaviour outside of our Code of Conduct. I am confident that the situation will be resolved through the justice system and we will take every step to ensure that the loss will not be passed along to the taxpayer.”