Todd Cowan sentenced to probation, community service

CTV Kitchener: No jail for Todd Cowan Former Woolwich mayor Todd Cowan won’t go to jail, but he will have to do 100 hours of community service. Abigail Bimman has details.

The former mayor of Woolwich Township will not spend any time in prison.

Todd Cowan was sentenced Monday to one year probation, and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service within the next 11 months.

Cowan, who was mayor of Woolwich from 2010 to 2014, was convicted of breach of trust and cleared of fraud last month.

The charges related to allegations that Cowan had intentionally double-billed various levels of government for $2,700 worth of expenses during his time as mayor.

He was cleared of wrongdoing for those expenses, but convicted over $140.09 worth of receipts for meals for his girlfriend, which he claimed were for meals with other local politicians.

Unlike the $2,700, that money was never repaid – something Cowan was ordered to do while in court Monday.

While there is no minimum sentence for criminal breach of trust under the criminal code, the maximum penalty is 14 years in prison.

In delivering his sentence, Justice Michael Epstein said that the amount of money at issue wasn’t the key factor affecting his decision.

“The amount here is small,” he said.

“The accused’s moral culpability is high.”

Cowan was also charged with failure to appear in court in connection with a missed court date last fall. That charge was withdrawn Monday.

Speaking to CTV Kitchener outside the courthouse, Cowan said he was glad to have the sentencing behind him.

“It’s definitely a weight off my shoulders,” he said.

The former mayor said he was glad to see local governments introduce “checks and balances” to prevent similar issues, and hoped other politicians would learn from his mistakes.

No longer involved in municipal politics, Cowan recently launched a free weekly newspaper for Waterloo Region’s townships.

With reporting by Abigail Bimman