Investigations Into Fraudulent Billing to Continue, Public Works Official Says, After $250,000 Theft Uncovered

Fraud charges laid against a federal contractor accused of stealing $250,000 are only the beginning as other cases are being referred to the RCMP, a department of public works manager told the government operations committee July 23. “No department is entirely safe from this type of fraud,” assistant deputy public works minister Catherine Poulin testified at the committee, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. The charges filed July 9 against an Ottawa contractor were “the first case of fraudulent overbilling we referred to the RCMP,” Ms. Poulin said, adding they have also referred three other cases to the RCMP so far. Government contractor Clara Visser was charged with overbilling $250,000 on federal contracts during an 18-month period. The RCMP said Ms. Visser “undertook contract work with eight separate departments and Crown corporations, with the evidence indicating that she submitted fraudulent timesheets....