Eight months after stepping down from her position as a Six Nations band councillor, Glenda Porter has been charged with misappropriating funds from three community organizations.
Porter, a respected and long-time politician on the reserve, was arrested Feb. 4 and charged with 72 counts of theft, fraud, forgery and uttering forged documents.
She was released on a promise to appear in court on March 13, according to a news release issued recently from Six Nations Police. The charges relate to Porter's work with three high-profile community groups: The Six Nations Agricultural Society, the Six Nations Skating Club and the Six Nations Historical Society.
Porter was a mainstay in the groups, particularly the skating club and as a fall fair organizer.
In 2001, she was recognized in the Ontario legislature by MP Toby Barrett for 26 years of work with the skating club, including 14 years as president, where she often sewed costumes for dozens of skaters.
"It is people like Glenda who make our communities and the province of Ontario a richer place to live," Barrett said at the time.
During her tenure with the band council, Porter held the lands and membership portfolio, the education portfolio and, for a time, sat on the gaming commission that oversaw the native bingo hall.
It was the gaming commission that eventually turned up inconsistencies in the books of several of the groups that Porter represented. Each organization that works at, and collects funds from, the bingo hall must present its books for inspection in order to qualify for a licence and collect up to $4,000 a week for the group.
Porter's organizations were suspended from working the games after the gaming commission refused to renew their licences.
"We had her in two times, commissioner Syd Henhawk told The Expositor last June. "We said her information wasn't sufficient. You can't just write down the amount of what's been spent but not show receipts and cancelled cheques."
When word of the problems percolated through the community, Porter stepped down from her council seat and left town, having her district-mate, Coun. Helen Miller, read a prepared statement to council.
The three community organizations met with Six Nations Police and an investigation was launched.
The fair board was left wondering if it could even pull off the annual fall fair, said the current president, Les Sowden, Jr.
"There were a lot of people who stepped up to the plate and pulled it off but they really had to shove it into overdrive to make it happen."
Sowden said many in the community are asking questions but those on the fair board have opted to remain mum about how much money is missing.
"It's just too bad it had to happen."
In November, Porter surprised many when she returned to the council table after a five-month absence.
She told fellow councillors that since no charges had been laid against her she felt she should return to the council for the last two weeks of the job before an election in which she did not run.