Executive Summary
- Tracy Kitch, former CEO of IWK Health Centre, faces sentencing after being convicted of fraud over $5,000.
- Crown prosecutors are seeking a nine-month jail term followed by two years of probation.
- The conviction involves the misuse of a corporate credit card for approximately $47,000 in personal expenses.
- This follows a retrial in September 2025; an earlier conviction was overturned on appeal in 2023.
HALIFAX — A sentencing hearing began on Tuesday for Tracy Kitch, the former Chief Executive Officer of the IWK Health Centre, who faces potential incarceration following her conviction for fraud involving the misuse of hospital funds.
Kitch was found guilty of fraud over $5,000 in September 2025 following a retrial. According to court documents, the conviction stems from the misuse of a corporate credit card to cover approximately $47,000 in personal expenses, including flight costs. During the proceedings on Tuesday, Crown prosecutors recommended a custodial sentence of nine months, to be followed by 24 months of probation.
The legal process began in 2018 when Kitch was first charged following an internal investigation by the hospital. She was initially convicted and sentenced to five months in jail in 2022. However, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal overturned that decision in March 2023, ruling that the trial judge had not adequately explained the reasoning behind the verdict, prompting a new trial which concluded last year.
Judicial Accountability and Public Trust
Cases involving the misappropriation of funds by high-ranking public officials typically center on the legal concept of “breach of trust.” In determining a sentence, the judiciary must weigh the severity of the financial misconduct against the necessity of general deterrence to maintain public confidence in institutional leadership. The outcome of this hearing will set a precedent regarding the accountability of executives within the publicly funded healthcare sector.
