TORONTO — A group of consumers who did not receive the travel services they paid for is getting compensated, says TICO.

On May 31, TICO’s Board of Directors approved a payment of $24,495 to assist the 20 consumers who failed to receive travel services. The payment was due to the closure of Akkiratourz Ltd. in Toronto.

The Board denied one claim due to insufficient support documentation to prove the claim.

In other TICO news, Carolyn (Michelle) Solomon and 1924067 Ontario Inc. o/a Blue Mountain Travel, pled guilty and were convicted of four and one counts of operating as a travel agent without registration, respectively, contrary to section 4(1)(a) of the Travel Industry Act, 2002.

The pleas and convictions under the Act were joined with Solomon’s pleas and conviction of six fraud-related charged, under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Solomon was sentenced on both sets of charges, combined, as follows:

• 18 months jail, with credit for time already served;
• Three years probation with the condition (in addition to statutory conditions) that Solomon not sell or counsel for the purpose of selling any travel services to the public in any capacity;
• Restitution in the amount of $462,804.56 to be paid in equal monthly installments by the end of the three-year probation period;
• An Order for a Fine in lieu of Forfeiture for the full amount of restitution. Failure to pay the full amount by the deadline provided will result in Solomon’s imprisonment for another three years;
• A Prohibition Order for five years prohibiting Solomon from having authority over real property, money or valuable security of another person; and
• An Order that a sample of Solomon’s DNA will be taken for future investigative purposes.

1924067 Ontario Inc. was sentenced to a fine of $50,000.

Solomon was the principal and a guiding mind of 1924067 Ontario Inc. and operated in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario. In addition, she was a former employee of 407488 Ontario Ltd. o/a Business & Vacation Travel Planners and Blue Mountain Travel (BMT), a registrant under the Act. BMT’s registration was voluntarily terminated, effective July 31, 2015. In a related prosecution, BMT and its officer and director were charged and convicted of a number of offences under the Act.