Summerside lottery operator hires lawyer for CNIB legal action

A former lottery booth operator in the Maritimes is considering legal action after she says the CNIB wrongfully accused her of mishandling funds.

A CBC News investigation has revealed the charity is suing four former lottery operators in three provinces, trying to recover $100,000 in missing money. All four say they have done nothing wrong and can't understand why the CNIB is holding them responsible.

The charity which helps visually impaired Canadians has a contract to sell Atlantic Lottery Corporation products at 17 booths in Atlantic Canada and hires independent contractors to run the booths.

• CNIB sues Maritime lottery booth operators for $100K

Sandra Gallant ran a booth in Summerside, P.E.I., for a year, ending in August 2011. She's heard about the lawsuits and says she had a similar experience.

Gallant said in February 2011, two CNIB managers visited her booth, did an audit, and told her she was missing $13,000.

She said she didn't steal anything and had no idea where the money went, but believed she was responsible for the booth and had no choice but to reimburse those funds.

"At the time, I didn't know whether they were just going to fire me, call the police in and I would end up in jail," said Gallant.

Gallant said the CNIB agreed to let her keep her job, while paying $1,500 a month toward the missing money.

She said she signed a note and gave it to her managers that said she was not admitting to taking the money, but rather, she was signing it "because I was responsible as the boss of the booth."

More missing money

In July 2011, Gallant said she was told there was more money missing. This time, it was $15,000.

Shortly after that, she quit, still certain she had done nothing wrong.

"I never made a payment after that, when I left. They did not give me my pay in August for the 14 days or whatever it would have been, so that probably was put towards it too. But they never came after me for the rest of what was signed for," said Gallant.

She estimates she paid the charity $9,000 toward the missing funds.

The CNIB has not taken legal action against Gallant. When asked to explain why she wasn't sued, as others have been, the charity declined to answer.

Legal action against CNIB

Now, Gallant said she's planning legal action against the CNIB. Her lawyer, Stephen Ellis, said his client wants to clear her name.

"She's realizing now that what she's been through was wrong, that she shouldn't have had to endure this type of treatment at the hands of people that she trusted, and so she's looking for vindication," said Ellis.

Gallant said it was a humiliating experience and came at a difficult time, when her husband was ill. He has since died.

"I promised him that I would make sure that I fought them somewhere down the road and prove that I did not do it, if at all possible," she said.

"I was always brought up you don't steal from anybody. I can't even take a nickelwithout giving it back."

Under their contracts, the CNIB lottery booth operators agree to "accept full responsibility and liability for any and all products and/or cash shortages" and to "repay to the CNIB in full any costs associated with or damages incurred relating to such product and/or cash shortage."

Atlantic Lottery Corporation says it is monitoring the matter between CNIB and its independent contractors. In an email, it says "Atlantic Lottery was not involved in the decision and is not a party to and is not involved in the litigation process."

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