A former Ottawa union executive has now lost her lawyer’s licence for “conduct unbecoming” after misusing funds for years — including money destined for renowned charities.
Sheila Joy Stanislawski, 66, was the longtime director of the Civic Institute of Professional Personnel (CIPP). Her career ended when she was let go after financial irregularities were discovered in 2015. The ex-union executive was also a lawyer in good standing, up until now.
Stanislawski’s licence was revoked by the Law Society of Ontario earlier this month. A disciplinary panel concluded she used the union money accounts like her own personal bank account.
The law society panel found Stanislawski knowingly took annual vacation pay to which she wasn’t entitled (amounting to around $100,000 before tax), knowingly used union money for her own purposes with at least $80,000 misused this way, received money for expenses to be paid to suppliers who weren’t actually paid, and filed false expense claims, altering documents to support the bogus claims.
(Mike Frisch)