MLA’s office lobbied for woman later charged in slaying
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/12/2018 (1962 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A woman charged with the murder of a fellow resident at a Manitoba Housing complex last weekend had been subject to an eviction order in the months before the slaying, but the eviction was dropped after area-MLA Cindy Lamoureux’s office intervened on her behalf.
Phyllis Dawn Pascal, a 45-year-old resident of Gilbert Park, has been charged with the second degree murder of Lisa Marie Kubica, 38, on the evening of Dec. 6. Kubica was stabbed to death, with wounds to her face and neck, her family said.
The Free Press has learned that Pascal was investigated by Manitoba Justice under The Safer Communities and Neighourhoods Act after receiving at least one complaint of “chronic unlawful activity” taking place at her residence. Citing privacy concerns, the provincial government would not verify Pascal had been investigated, but this was confirmed by sources with knowledge of the situation.
In the months leading up to the fatal stabbing, Pascal – who Manitoba Housing was in the process of evicting – approached Lamoureux’s constituency office for help. Lamoureux is the Liberal MLA for Burrows, which includes Gilbert Park.
The eviction was dropped sometime after Lamoureux’s office lobbied on Pascal’s behalf, but the exact nature of the intervention remains unclear due to conflicting and changing statements from Lamoureux and her assistant.
On Tuesday, the Free Press reached out to Lamoureux’s constituency office and interviewed her assistant, who declined to provide her full name. Her employment was subsequently confirmed by Lamoureux.
The assistant said that Pascal approached the office for help “a few months ago,” claiming that she’d been unfairly targeted for eviction after being falsely accused of “drug trafficking.”
“She was very convincing, saying how she’s not guilty of substance use. She was decent. She said the people who had been coming (to and from her residence) were actually her family members who all live in the area. They were asking for sugar, coffee,” the assistant said.
“She came down to our office asking if we can help her not get evicted. She wanted a support letter on her behalf.”
The assistant said the two met on multiple occasions and she spoke with Gilbert Park property manager, Debbie Cook, on Pascal’s behalf. She also said she sent a letter of support – written on “MLA for Burrows – Cindy Lamoureux” letterhead – to Manitoba Housing, although she wasn’t sure if Lamoureux signed it.
However, the assistant called the Free Press back less than an hour later to change her story. She claimed she actually wasn’t sure if she’d spoken with Cook and did not send a letter of support to Manitoba Housing. She added that she spoke to an individual who worked with Manitoba Justice’s Public Safety Investigations, but wasn’t sure if she’d sent a letter of support to the department.
But on Wednesday that story changed again, with the assistant saying she’d made no interventions to the province on Pascal’s behalf.
In a written statement from Lamoureux sent later that day, the MLA said her office deals with many residents who claim they are being unfairly evicted and helps them all to the same extent. She declined to address Pascal’s case specifically.
“Any constituent that reaches out to my office with an issue from any level of government will be heard and my staff will do their best to work with them and the appropriate government departments to resolve the issues they are facing,” Lamoureux said.
Sherry Kubica, the victim’s mother, said she’s heartbroken following the loss of her daughter and “very upset” that an eviction order against Pascal was halted. She said she can’t help but wonder if her daughter would still be alive if Pascal had been evicted as planned.
“I just find that unbelievable. I’m at a loss for words. I think they should have had her out of there. I think it wouldn’t have happened,” she said.
“They knew that she was a troubled person. Obviously she was violent. They must have had some inclination, or why did they want to evict her? They must have (had a reason).”
Lisa Marie Kubica was a mother of five, with children aged five to 18. She had also recently become a grandmother, her mother said. The family is holding a funeral service for her Thursday evening. They plan to have an open casket service, despite the wounds to her face and neck.
“I want to see my daughter. That’s the only way I get to see her,” she said.
The accusations against Pascal have not been proven in court.
ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Ryan Thorpe
Reporter
Ryan Thorpe likes the pace of daily news, the feeling of a broadsheet in his hands and the stress of never-ending deadlines hanging over his head.
History
Updated on Wednesday, December 12, 2018 8:14 PM CST: Turns off comments
