Former Baddeck chief administrator avoids jail time after pleading guilty to theft

The Village of Baddeck's former chief administrative officer is not getting a fine or jail time after she pleaded guilty to stealing more than $19,000 from the village's bank account.

Megan Cooper, 38, worked for the village for two years, but was fired in 2021 over complaints that paperwork and audit reports were not getting done, tax and water bills had not been sent out, and contractors were going unpaid.

During a virtual sentencing hearing on Friday, provincial court was told Cooper has been going through the restorative justice process for the last two years.

The Crown did not oppose a conditional discharge recommended by the defence.

In a brief address to the court, Cooper apologized in a slightly wavering voice.

"I loved Baddeck very, very much and I am truly, truly sorry for everything that I did to damage that community," she said.

Cooper has 'suffered shame,' 'shown remorse'

Judge Peter Ross accepted the joint recommendation for a conditional discharge and 18 months' probation and ordered her to pay back the missing $19,488.13.

He said the restorative justice report found that as a result of her crime, Cooper lost her job, her marriage broke down and she had to move to Halifax.

"That has put her at considerable distance from her children and has greatly restricted the time she can spend with them," Ross said.

"That is a significant penalty that she, as a mother, has suffered as a result of her actions. She's suffered shame for this. She's shown remorse for her conduct.

"Not everyone, perhaps, would agree with the conclusions or the recommendations of the Island Community Justice Society [restorative justice agency] ... but I feel I should give considerable heed to the report."

Ross said the discharge means Cooper, who has never been convicted of a crime, will not have a criminal record.

But he warned her that could change if she does not satisfy the lengthy list of probation conditions. Among other things, they include mental health and addictions counselling.

Cooper was dealing with a serious alcohol addiction at the time of the theft and was "experiencing some difficulties in her home life financially as a sole provider and also in terms of her marital relationship being, I'll say, unhealthy at best and abusive at worst," her Halifax defence lawyer Jennifer MacDonald told court.

Court was also told Cooper has been going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since her guilty plea to theft and has been sober for more than two years.

According to a victim impact statement, the Village of Baddeck suffered serious financial challenges and its reputation among residents and suppliers was hurt.

Ross said he took that into account, but was swayed by the extensive restorative justice report, which included input from the village's employees and its elected commissioners.

Financial mess left behind

Commission chair Jennifer MacDonald, no relation to Cooper's defence lawyer, was not available for comment on Friday.

Cooper was originally charged with fraud after RCMP said $28,000 was unaccounted for.

Two years after she was fired, Cooper pleaded guilty to theft, which amounted to about $19,500, according to an agreed statement of facts.

The village was in turmoil after Cooper was fired, leaving behind two years without financial statements and a big financial mess.

Nova Scotia's municipal affairs minister at the time, John Lohr, had to issue two orders for the village to hire accountants to straighten out its finances and for the elected commissioners to set policies and procedures to ensure better financial management in the future.

Just last year, the village got its finances in order after uncovering a two-year budget deficit totalling nearly $228,000. 

The village also filed an insurance claim to try to recover about $70,000 worth of accounting and other costs for cleaning up the mess and went through two interim chief administrators before hiring Roman Braun-Huettner on a permanent basis. 

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