The Crown is asking that a former Barrie operations manager, who pleaded guilty to accepting secret commissions, spend at least a year in jail.
Crown attorney Karen McLeave made the request in a Bradford court on Monday, saying Ryan Thompson and co-accused Travis Wilkes should go to “real jail”.
“This is a crime against the public,” said McLeave. “This sentence must reinforce positive social values.”
In October, Thompson pleaded guilty to one count of accepting $127,000 in cash for secret commissions, while Wilkes pleaded to making the payment.
Thompson also admitted to handing Graham Landscaping Ltd., the business Wilkes operated, $2.3 million in city work without proper city contracts from 2011 to 2015.
Barrie’s CAO Carla Ladd noted in a victim impact statement that Thompson’s crime came out of the public pocket. She detailed the costs that totalled about $385,463.
“These costs are ultimately borne by the taxpayer, which affects the credibility of the city relative to overall financial management in addition to reputational impacts which can affect confidence and investment in the city,” said Ladd.
Both men have paid back the $127,000. Thompson also apologized in court.
The defence for both the accused are asking the judge for a conditional sentence that the men could serve while staying at their homes and going to work. “He has shamed himself and his family,” said Thompson’s lawyer, Mitch Eisen who insisted the behaviour was “out of character."
Wilkes’ lawyer Seth Weinstein told the judge Wilkes was “young and naive” and the “salt of the earth” and the crime was out of character for him.
A sentence will be handed down in May.
