Eleven months ago, Ursula Doxtator, 56, was found guilty of one count of fraud over $5,000 and one count of uttering forged documents.
This comes after the courts found she ripped off her elderly mother, Caroline Doxtator, after she cashed her mom’s $150,000 cheque that she received as part of her residential school class action lawsuit claim from the Canadian government in the summer of 2023.
The court heard that Ursula, a former Oneida of the Thames First Nation band councillor, got a hold of the cheque and put it in her own bank account because she was power of attorney.
The money was all but gone in a matter of weeks.
In her victim impact statement via Zoom, a tearful Caroline told the hearing of the anguish and heartache she has experienced at the hands of her only remaining child.
“I trusted her completely. What occurred was far more than financial, it was a serious breach of trust and exploitation of my personal trauma and a disruption of the fragile peace I have struggled to reconstruct,” she said.
She went on to say that throughout the ordeal, memories of her difficult childhood in residential schools have come flooding back.
“The impact of this crime has been profound,” she said. “The betrayal deeply affected me, resurfacing old wounds.”
She added that she still feels threatened, saying, “I am constantly on edge…my daughter committed elder abuse.”
Defence lawyer Karen Simpson told the court that the sentencing should be stayed because of a lengthy delay in getting a Gladue Report completed in this case.
It is a specialized pre-sentence report for Indigenous offenders that examines and explores their background.
If the judge rejects the application, the defence says Ursula should only receive a conditional sentence.
Meanwhile, Crown Attorney Jeremy Carnegie is asking that the application be denied, saying that Ursula should receive two years in custody.
The sentencing hearing being heard by Justice Kevin McHugh is expected to resume on Thursday.
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