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Kingsbury vows to file an appeal Former Coquitlam mayor gets suspended sentence, probation for ‘isolated event’ Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com Former Coquitlam mayor Jon Kingsbury was handed a suspended sentence with two years probation Thursday morning for fraud and personation charges. B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper ordered Kingsbury to complete 150 community service hours over the next 18 months, as was suggested in a joint submission from the Crown and defence. He must also pay $300 in victim surcharges.
Last month, Gropper found Kingsbury guilty of fraud over $5,000, personation with intent to gain advantage and causing someone to utter a forged document. Kingsbury, who was Coquitlam’s mayor from 1998 to 2005, was acquitted of a charge related to theft over $5,000. The charges stem from a situation nearly three years ago when Kingsbury took a former business associate’s travel trailer. Kingsbury had previously entered into a business arrangement to buy half the interest in Jean Aussant’s company for $450,000. Kingsbury paid Aussant $24,000, which he believed to be a loan and Aussant believed to be a deposit. Meanwhile, Aussant had traded in his travel trailer and put a deposit on a newer one from Travelhome RV Marketplace in Langley. In August 2008, Kingsbury signed Aussant’s name on a work order at the Travelhome dealership to take the trailer, which he drove to a property in Shuswap. Kingsbury believed
he had a legal right to the trailer since Aussant owed him money. Aussant reported the trailer stolen to Langley RCMP, who arrested Kingsbury in October 2008. Following an out-of-court settlement for civil litigation, Kingsbury has been the lawful owner of the trailer. However, at Thursday’s sentencing, Gropper ordered that Kingsbury return Aussant’s personal items left behind in the trailer. He must also have no direct or indirect contact with Aussant or his wife, except through counsel or another professional service. Gropper said the sentence is meant to act as a denunciation and deterrent. “Mr. Kingsbury’s actions were impulsive but not spur-of-the-moment,” Gropper said. The trailer was Aussant’s personal property and not part of a business deal between the two men, she noted. Kingsbury engaged in two deceits, Gropper found: first, he said he was Aussant; and secondly, he said he would bring the trailer back
after the weekend. However, Gropper noted that Kingsbury has significant credibility in the community and has no criminal record. She said he has been publicly embarrassed, his image has been tarnished and he now suffers health problems. “This incident is an isolated event,” Gropper said. Kingsbury must report to the probation office within 72 hours. Outside the courtroom, Kingsbury said he plans to file an appeal. He said he was never in business with Aussant, nor did he have any intention of being in business with him. “I think the whole thing just got misconstrued from the start,” said 64-year-old Kingsbury. Similarly, Aussant said Kingsbury was never a business partner since he never purchased any shares in his company. “Justice has been rendered,” Aussant said. twitter.com/jennifermcfee
Orcas pay visit to waters in Port Moody Frank Luba editorial@thenownews.com As soon as he heard there were orcas in Burrard Inlet Wednesday morning, Dave Price jumped in a boat. The 50-year-old was rewarded with the rare sight of a pod of the magnificent creatures that used to be called killer whales swimming, leaping and breaching. Price got his orca sighting Wednesday when a call came in at 7:30 a.m. that there were whales under the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge. He leaped into a boat with a co-worker Visit www.thenownews.com for pictures who used to work on whale of the orcas. tours. “We looked out for them because we didn’t want to pass them,” recalled Price. “We spot them, cruise in slowly, kill the engine and start taking photographs.” The social media world was full of comments about the pod travelling in Burrard Inlet waters including Port Moody, and the conversation speculated that the large mammals were visiting Vancouver to support the Canucks — the team whose logo uses a killer-whale graphic.
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GET A HANDLE ON HEART HEALTH: The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike made a stopover at Coquitlam Centre, where the store’s teams wheeled their way to fundraising tallies. For a gallery of photos, visit www.thenownews.com.