Ex-Waskesiu chamber boss charged with fraud, theft

The one-time manager of Waskesiu’s Chamber of Commerce faces fraud and theft charges stemming from a two-year investigation into financial irregularities that are alleged to have occurred over a seven-year period.

Prince Albert city police arrested George Wilson, 66, of Prince Albert on Jan. 4 on an outstanding warrant related to the charges. The Waskesiu Chamber of Commerce says Wilson’s seasonal employment with the organization was not renewed at the end of the 2015 season.

According to RCMP, the charges stem from an investigation by the Waskesiu detachment into irregularities that occurred between 2008 and 2015. At the time, he was working in a position of financial authority with a Waskesiu-area organization, RCMP said in a statement.

RCMP did not release details about the dollar value of the alleged fraud and theft. Its investigation is ongoing with help from the Federal and Serious Organized Crime Unit.

Wilson is charged with one count of fraud greater than $5,000, theft over $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime.

“The Chamber Board has been and will continue to work with the Waskesiu Wilderness Region and the RCMPs investigation,” the chamber said in a statement to the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Wilson is now free on an undertaking and is expected to appear in court in Montreal Lake on Feb. 15.