Meadow Lake Provincial Court. (file photo/meadowlakeNOW Staff)

By paNOW Staff

restitution ordered

Manager defrauded over $200K to support crack cocaine addiction

Sep 16, 2025 | 12:30 PM

A former manager of the Buffalo Narrows Broadcasting Corporation will serve his sentence in the community followed by a restitution order for over $200,000 after he defrauded the organization to support his crack cocaine addiction in 2017.

Michael Bouvier pleaded guilty to a single count of fraud in Meadow Lake Provincial Court and heard his fate in a sentencing circle on June 17. He received a conditional sentence order, followed by three years of probation.

Bouvier was employed as a manager for the non-profit organization from 2012 until his termination in 2018. Through the course of his job, he was responsible for day to day operations, including expenses for the radio station. Given access to all of the station’s bank accounts and a credit card, Bouvier would meet the board of directors regularly and mislead them about the state of the organization’s fiscal status.

An investigation began after employees complained their paycheques bounced and allegations began to swirl around Bouvier, specifically his attendance at work and his prominence at the Île-à-la-Crosse bar. Board members then discovered tens of thousands of dollars missing from their coffers.

It was determined Bouvier made 597 electronic transfers into his personal bank account, totalling $199,517.58. He transferred over $22,000 from his company AMEX card to his bank. Before his termination, he changed the passwords to access the bank accounts, effectively locking the board from gaining access.

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The money, he admitted, was used to facilitate his crack cocaine addiction, buy alcohol, and pay his personal debts.

“It is by sheer force of will of the Board members that the radio station even exists today,” Judge Michael Segu wrote in his decision. “They were left to operate on a day-to-day basis financially and were required to obtain financial assistance to cover outstanding bills, purchases, and payroll.”

Board members have also faced a tarnished reputation in the community, Segu added.

“The anger felt by the Board members was clearly palpable at the sentencing circle, even eight years removed from the offence.”

The defence said since the crime, Bouvier has overcome his addiction and returned to school where he graduated as a mental health wellness counsellor. He now working as an addictions support worker in Saskatoon.

Aggravating factors in his case included that it was an ongoing fraud involving multiple transactions and his efforts to conceal the theft. The mitigating factors were his addiction to crack cocaine, and his willingness to confront the victims by requesting a sentencing circle.

As part of his sentencing, Bouvier is required to prepare a written apology to CIBN and the community of Buffalo Narrows. The apology will be broadcast and may be recorded by the station to re-broadcast subsequently.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com