Housing advocate, former N.L. Elizabeth Fry Society executive director charged with fraud
Michelle Voisey has been charged with two counts of fraud. Voisey has been an active supporter of the tent protest outside Confederation Building. In this 2020 file photo, she was participating in a rally about defunding the police. (Heather Gillis/CBC)
A Newfoundland and Labrador housing advocate who has been heavily involved in the ongoing tent protests in St. John's is facing two unrelated fraud charges.
According to Supreme Court documents, Michelle Voisey has been charged with two counts of fraud, one under $5,000 and one over $5,000.
Both are alleged to have been committed in 2020 against an individual.
Michelle Voisey, who also goes by the name Michelle Gushue, has been soliciting donations online for the tent protest near Confederation Building in St. John's, and has been a constant presence in the fight for housing.
In an Oct. 19 post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Voisey, under the name Michelle Gushue, asked for $200 to put a senior couple who had been living living in the encampment in a hotel. In a post reposted by NDP Leader Jim Dinn, Gushue asked for donations of gift cards, hygiene products, cellphones and tents for protesters.
On Wednesday, Voisey joined Dinn during a media visit to a for-profit shelter, organized by the NDP. After being informed of the charges, Dinn declined comment because the matter is before the courts.
According to Dinn's office, he was not aware of the current charges.
Voisey also declined comment. However, she said she is not the person collecting donations for the individuals at the tent encampment.
Voisey is also involved in an organization called Open Hands, which describes itself as "providing housing support to NL's most vulnerable" on X.
Voisey, under the name Michelle Gushue, has dozens of previous convictions, mostly for fraud and related crimes. In 2015, she was sentenced to three years in prison for defrauding four businesses and an individual.
Voisey is the former executive director of the provincial chapter of the Elizabeth Fry Society, an organization which supports women and gender-diverse individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
The fraud charges are unrelated to the organization.
The Elizabeth Fry Society N.L. appears to no longer be active, and the chapter is not listed on the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies website. Michelle Gushue was listed as an expert consultant in the organization's 2021 annual report, but was not listed in last year's report.
CBC News asked Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies executive director Emilie Coyle for comment but did not receive a response. It is unclear why the local chapter folded.
According to the docket, Voisey is next scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 2.
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