Peace bond case moves forward

Nanaimo official Tracy Samra facing court date

A special prosecutor has approved the filing of an application to have Tracy Samra, Nanaimo’s chief administrative officer, bound by the terms of a peace bond.

The case involves an incident on Jan. 31 in Nanaimo, according to a media statement from the B.C. Prosecution Service.

The statement said Samra was arrested by Nanaimo RCMP as a result of allegations of threats uttered at Nanaimo City Hall.

She is scheduled to make her first appearance in Nanaimo provincial court on Tuesday.

A peace bond is not a charge under the Criminal Code.

The court document outlining the application states that Nanaimo Mayor Bill McKay and councillors Sheryl Armstrong and Dianne Brennan, city staff Sheila Gurrie, Jan Kemp and Donna Stennes, former municipal employees Brad McRae and Kim Fowler, and online journalist Dominic Jones have “reasonable grounds to fear” that Samra will cause personal injury to them, based on a Jan. 31 incident in Nanaimo.

If a peace bond is granted by a judge, certain conditions might be imposed on the defendant, Canada’s Department of Justice website says.

Peace bonds can be in place for up to one year and can be renewed if concerns persist, it says.

Samra has been on leave from her job in Nanaimo. She was hired as acting chief administrative officer in 2015 and was subsequently appointed to that position.

Robert Mulligan, Samra’s lawyer, said he will seek to adjourn the case before Tuesday in order to obtain police reports and statements. He will assess those documents, review them with his client, and have discussions with the special prosecutor.

“Then we would settle on the course of the case,” he said.

That could include agreeing to an application or setting the case for a hearing to determine whether there is a proper basis for such a bond.

That process would likely take a minimum of a few weeks, he said.

On Feb. 2, assistant deputy attorney general Peter Juk appointed Michael Klein as special prosecutor after Samra was arrested. Juk appointed Klein “because he considered it in the public interest to do so.”

The appointment of a special prosecutor was intended to avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice in light of the nature of the alleged incident and the identity of some of the complainants, who are municipal councillors.