Former IWK CEO granted bail as she seeks to appeal fraud conviction

Former IWK CEO Tracy Kitch was granted bail as she appeals her fraud conviction.

The former CEO of the IWK Health Centre has been granted bail as she seeks to appeal her fraud conviction.

Tracy Kitch was twice convicted of fraud after she used her corporate credit card to pay for personal expenses.

Kitch was appointed as the Halifax children’s hospital CEO in 2014. At the time, she was given a corporate credit card, which she acknowledged in writing was not for personal use, according to a previous court decision.

Kitch resigned in 2017 and was charged with fraud over $5,000 in 2018, following an internal investigation by the hospital. An audit found Kitch used her hospital credit card to pay for roughly $47,000 in personal expenses. That money was reimbursed.

A conservative estimate of more than $30,000 was the evidence presented at trial, consisting of personal flight passes and taxi chits.

Kitch was first convicted and sentenced to five months in jail in 2022, but she was released on bail pending her appeal, which was heard on Mar. 7, 2023. That appeal was successful, with the court ruling the trial judge had failed to adequately explain the reasons behind the decision to convict Kitch in 2022, and a new trial was ordered.

Kitch’s retrial started in November 2024 and she was convicted in September 2025 of fraud over $5,000 for the second time. She was sentenced last week to nine months in jail followed by 24 months of probation. She was also barred from holding a position of public trust for 10 years.

Kitch is seeking to appeal her second conviction and was granted bail on Monday. She was released on a $20,000 surety and must abide by several conditions, which include living at a Toronto address with her surety, attending court as directed, and surrendering her passport.

Kitch filed the notice to appeal the verdict on six grounds, including that the trial judge “erred in law by concluding that no person employed at a public institution is permitted to use public funds for personal use … with no exception.”

When asked last week if the Crown would pursue a third trial if Kitch’s appeal is successful, attorney Peter Dostal said it was too soon to say.

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Callum Smith

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