Nunavut's chief coroner fired in part due to 'fraudulent activity' at YWCA, gov't says

The Nunavut government saysit fired its chief coroner, Padma Suramala, in part because she was a "knowing participant in fraudulent activity involving the YWCA."

The government also alleges Suramalaforged a document to appear as a court order in order to seize health records from the Qikiqtani General Hospital.

Suramalawas fired on April 25after seven years as Nunavut's chief coroner. She is suing the Nunavut governmentfor $1 million in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. Shealleges the Justice Department interfered in herwork as the chief coroner, took steps to prevent her from releasing reports, and denied her access to a lawyer throughout the firing process.

None of Suramala's allegations, nor the Government of Nunavut's, have been proven in court.

In a statement of defence filed in the Nunavut Court of Justice on Friday, the government alleges Suramalawas paid more than $24,000 in questionable payments from the YWCA, which were separate from her regular payrollfrom the non-profit.

The government also allegesSuramalanever reported her employment with the YWCA, which is against governmentpolicy. In her statement of claim, Suramala said she did report it.

YWCA 'fraudulent activity'

In its statement of defence, the Nunavut government shed light on a2017 audit it did of the YWCA AgvvikNunavut society.

The society runs the two women shelters in Iqaluit, and receives about $2 million in public funding every year.

In May 2017, CBCNewsreported on allegations of financial mismanagement within the YWCA. The anonymously leaked documents also went to twodeputy ministersand the RCMP, the governmentnoted in its statement.

• Nunavut gov't to conduct forensic audit of YWCA Agvvik amid allegations of financial mismanagement
• New information comes to light in RCMP investigation of Nunavut YWCA

Subsequent to the allegations going public, the governmentlaunched a forensic audit, handed the findings over to the RCMP, and the YWCA Agvvik's executive directorwas later fired.

The plaintiff was a knowing participant in fraudulent activity involving the YWCA or was wilfully blind to same.- Statement of defence

The results of the audit were never made public. The Mounties say the investigation is ongoing but the statement of defence is the first time anyone has publiclyalleged fraud within the YWCA.

The government saysitsaudit identified an issue with payments made to six YWCA employees. It alleges Suramala was one of those six shereceived13 paymentsover 41 months, totalling $24,154.

The governmentalleges that in questioning Suramala about the payments, she indicated the money from 2014 was for a "girls club" and that other payments werefrom an employee of the YWCA whomSuramalalent money to.

The employee's name is not included in the statement.

"All the funds used to repay the alleged personal debt, and the remainder of the $24,154 total, were drawn from YWCA accounts, and not any employee's personal account," the statement of defence reads, also alleging Suramalacouldn't explain why.

The statement said that the government concluded "that the plaintiff was a knowing participant in fraudulent activity involving the YWCA or was wilfully blind to same."

Didn't report outside work

The statement of defence goes on to allege that Suramalahad not reported her employment with the YWCA to the government.

In October 2017, deputy justice minister Bill MacKayraised the issue with Suramala, asking if she had received prior approval to work there. Suramalareplied that she had while in different positions and departments within the government, but also said that "she was so busy during 2016 and 2017 as chief coronerthat there was no way she could divert her time to anything else," the statement reads.

The foregoing illustrates, at a minimum, a sustained pattern of dishonest behaviour by Ms.Suramala.- Statement of defence

MacKaylater said he had obtained a YWCA paystub, indicating she did work there. Suramalareplied with a "disclosure of outside activity" form, and indicated she had worked at the YWCA in 2017.

"The foregoing illustrates, at a minimum, a sustained pattern of dishonest behaviour by Ms. Suramala," the statement of defence reads.

"Attempts by her to minimize her failure to report her outside activities by lying to the Deputy Minister, a failure to question large payments from a charitable organization for which she did little or no work and for which she denies generating invoices, and a failure to take issue with the fact that a personal loanwas being repayedby a not-for-profit organization rather than the person to whom the loan was allegedly made."

Falsified court order

The government also alleges Suramalafalsified a court order to get hospital records.

It says the NunavutCoroner's Act requires a coroner to have a court warrant to seize original medical records from a hospital it notes the generally accepted practice is to get copies, and leave originals in the hospitals, which wouldn't require a warrant.

In her statement of claim, Suramalaargues it was a departmental policy, and not the law, that required her to get a warrant.

The government alleges one of Suramala's staff entered the QikiqtaniGeneral Hospital in January 2018, "with a warrant or a document that had been drafted and signed by Ms. Suramalawhich was meant to appear as though it was a warrant."

"Ms. Suramala, or one of her staff members, crafted an unlawful order, presented it to hospital staff and indicated to them, or allowed them to believe, that it was a valid court order and seized the original records.

"This was a gross breach of trust and left the GN in the position where it could not trust Ms. Suramalato respect the laws of the territory. This misconduct, on its own and certainly when taken in conjunction with her deceit regarding the YWCA, amounted to just cause for her dismissal."

Gov't denies interfering in coroner's work

In her lawsuit, Suramalaaccused deputy ministerMacKay of interfering in her work as coroner.

In its defence, the governmentdenies MacKayever prohibited her from releasing areport into domestic violence-related deaths, or that he rejected her findings into thecause of death of a government employee.

Suramala's lawyer Michael Penner said they'll investigate the government's allegations before responding to them.

"It does involve a third party, and that complicates things," Penner said, referring to the unknown YWCA employee.

"The YWCA is not party to the litigation, so the access to those documents would not come through the regular routes. They aren't a governmental agency that I can use [the Access to Information Act] to produce their documents."