Families focus of federal budget

By Dave Dormer
Staff Reporter

Canadian families look to be the biggest benefactors from the Conservative government’s second federal budget, released by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty on Monday.
Included in the document are plans for several income tax measures aimed at helping middle-class families cope with the rising cost of living. For example: a $2,000 tax credit to families for each child under 18; a working income tax benefit of up to $500 a year per low-income individual — or $1,000 per family — to help get people off using welfare; and increased tax credits for Canadians whose spouses earn little to no income, ending the so-called “marriage penalty.”
Those measures are expected to save Alberta parents an estimated $173.2 million.
“That’s money families can use to buy new shoes or clothes for their children,” said Flaherty during his address in the House of Commons.
Provinces and territories will also see benefits from the balanced budget, as Flaherty announced some $39 billion in additional funding toward providing services and infrastructure.
Alberta is expected to see $3 billion of those dollars, including $1.8 billion in Canada Health Transfer and $938 million through renewed and strengthened Canada Social Transfer.
“Our budget cuts taxes for working families, cracks down on corporate tax avoiders and invests in key priorities that make Canada great, including the preservation of the environment,” said McLeod MP Ted Menzies.

Court -
Mail thief blames crimes on drug addiction

By Pamela Keith
Staff Reporter

On May 23, 2005, Jeanie Brandt of Seattle mailed a card to her niece in Okotoks with a cheque for $50 US enclosed. Her niece never received the cheque or the card, prompting Brandt to send a second card with cash, which did not arrive at its final destination either.
The pieces of mail from Brandt, along with hundreds of other pieces of mail, containing personal information such as banking statements, credit cards, T-4 slips, social insurance numbers, drivers licences, cheques and birth certificates, belonging to more than 150 different Okotoks residents, were found in Tanya Brazeau’s Okotoks residence in June 2005 following a search of the home by police.
The 25-year-old, who pleaded guilty on Oct. 12 to her charges of theft of mail and opening, keeping and delaying mail, appeared in Okotoks Provincial Court last Wednesday for sentencing.
According to an Agreed Statement of Facts, Brazeau had been employed by Canada Post for approximately five years prior to the offence period.
Between March 1, 2005 and June 23, 2005, she worked as a rural suburban mail courier and delivered mail to the mailboxes of the complainants, which totaled 38 residents from Okotoks during the course of the police investigation.
Aside from the various complaints about missing mail, police were tipped off about Brazeau’s behaviour on June 14, 2005 when her former roommate informed officers that in late April she observed Brazeau sitting in her living room, sorting through large quantities of mail that did not belong to her.
As a result, police prepared nine items of test mail addressed to six different addresses located on her route and placed them in the mail the following day.
On the morning of June 23, police observed Brazeau and her co-accused Claire Senio, conducting their daily work routine of delivering mail. By the early afternoon, police were advised that none of the test mail was delivered or had been left in the post office.
Later that same day, police received a telephone complaint from Brazeau, stating that an unknown female was banging on her door and she was concerned for her safety.
Police attended the residence and arrested Brazeau and Senio. Upon doing a check of the residence to confirm nobody else was inside, an officer found a plastic bin containing numerous pieces of mail in the bathtub behind a closed shower curtain.
Once a search warrant was obtained, police identified eight of the nine items of test mail, along with 39 credit cards, 28 cheques, seven Alberta driver’s licences, four social insurance cards, three bank cards, numerous gift cards and other items.
Police also seized several collections of documents belonging to particular individuals such as birth certificates, Alberta Health Care cards and a driver’s licence.
In addition to the items seized by police, Brazeau admitted to taking pieces of mail to Edmonton, but did not bring them back. She later claimed during an interview with police that some of the mail had simply gone missing.
Evidence of the missing mail eventually began to surface in other parts of the province.
Patricia Gaudet of Okotoks had been waiting for her income tax refund since May of 2005, but was informed on June 5 that a male had attempted to cash an income tax refund cheque in the amount of $5,298.21 at a National Money Mart in Stony Plain.
Patricia Vold of Okotoks had been waiting for her Canada Pension cheque, but soon learned that a cheque for $1,545.64, that had reportedly been issued and mailed to her home, had attempted to be cashed by another male at a Money Mart located in Edmonton.
A number of the complainants reported to police that they received birthday or special occasion cards in the mail, but did not receive the gifts that were enclosed. Brazeau admitted she intercepted the cards and took the enclosed gifts, sometimes resealing the envelopes and delivering just the cards.
The pre-sentence report revealed Brazeau had a $900-a-week methamphetamine addiction at the time of the offence, but has since addressed her addiction issues.
Although Crown prosecutor Lynn Cunningham stated Brazeau’s confession to police was lacking and not truly remorseful, defence counsel Katherin Beyak argued her client has been very remorseful for her actions and never had any intention to steal identities.
“This is a very drug-flooded state of affairs. It was never her intention to perpetrate some identity ring,” said Beyak. “She didn’t know what use could be made of the credit cards.”
While Beyak suggested a conditional sentence order (house arrest) would be a proper punishment, Cunningham suggested 12 to 15 months incarceration would be more fitting.
“This is not a victimless crime. Theft of mail is a serious, indictable offence,” said Cunningham. “ We are dealing with the theft of a large quantity of mail over a four-month period.”
The matter will return to Okotoks Provincial Court March 20 to set a date for the judge’s decision. The charges against Senio have since been stayed.

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