In court: Pair accused of bilking Bowness non-profit set for ‘pre-preliminary hearing’

The Calgary Courts Centre is pictured on Feb. 20, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The court case of two men accused of embezzling from a Calgary non-profit has taken a step forward.

Nathan Michael Mizera, 42, and Joshua Tyler Bredo, 41, are accused of bilking the Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association out of more than $66,000.

Mizera and Bredo are moving into a “pre-preliminary hearing,” Alberta Justice confirmed Friday.

They’re scheduled to begin that process May 28.

Friday’s step forward ends months of next-steps appearances caused largely by back-and-forth over case disclosure—a lack of it, then a lack of time to review it, then complications around what was contained within it.

Several days had been earmarked for a trial in January 2027.

The Crown has said it “is anxious” to move forward, as the case is running “right up against the Jordan ceiling.”

The Jordan Rule, in Canadian law, guarantees a trial within a reasonable time.

The allegations

According to police, Bowness Ratepayers Scout and Guide Hall Association directors were approached by two men in 2022 about rebranding and handing off day-to-day operations.

The hall became BowCommon, with events hosted under Discover Bowness.

Police said they were contacted in April 2024, after “a significant amount of missing funds” was discovered.

Police said investigation placed the missing amount at more than $66,000.

It’s believed this was done “by hosting events using organization funds without paying attributed fees, falsifying documents to obtain financial control and creating false receipts for services never rendered, which were then sent to fabricated email addresses and deposited into their personal bank accounts.”

Mizera and Bredo, along with another individual, were arrested in summer 2025 and charged with fraud over $5,000.

Proceedings against the other individual have since been stayed.

Mizera and Bredo have issued joint statements in which they deny wrongdoing and accuse a pair of police officers of targeting them and of corruption.