December 13, 2019 - Sentenced: Karen Gushue
Mississauga, ONT. – Ms. Karen Gushue has been sentenced to 75 days and 45 days in jail for two counts of operating as a travel agent without registration, contrary to S 4(1)(a) and S 31(1)(c) of the Travel Industry Act, 2002, to be served intermittently and concurrently.
Ms. Gushue was convicted of two counts of operating as a travel agent without registration on February 8, 2019.
The conviction was in relation to Ms. Gushue selling travel services to consumers who believed they were purchasing all-inclusive cruise packages to the Bahamas and Hawaii. Those consumers did not receive either part or all of the travel services they had paid for. Many of the consumers impacted are in the Fort Erie area and members of a local Royal Canadian Legion.
“This is a very unfortunate situation and a serious violation of Ontario’s travel consumer protection rules,” said Richard Smart, TICO’s President and CEO. “Ms. Gushue took advantage of a community that trusted her, putting their hard-earned vacations at risk. It’s an important reminder that anyone selling travel in Ontario needs to be registered with TICO, and that consumers can always verify if a travel agency is TICO-registered through the search directory on TICO’s website.”
TICO was successful in ensuring partial restitution from Ms. Gushue in the amount of $15,000, which will be returned to consumers on a pro-rata basis.
Ms. Gushue has also been charged by the Niagara Regional Police with fraud over $5,000 under the Criminal Code. This matter is ongoing and is currently awaiting trial.
Ms. Gushue has appealed the convictions. In the interim, she was released on bail on conditions consistent with the criminal case. A date for the appeal hearing will be set.
Formed in 1997, TICO is a not-for-profit corporation wholly financed by Ontario-registered travel agents and wholesalers. It administers the Travel Industry Act, 2002 and the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund. TICO may be contacted at (905) 624-6241 or 1-888-451-TICO. Visit TICO’s website at www.tico.ca or email TICO at
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Media Contact:
Kristina Wilson
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647-355-0900