FNUC, fired executives reach settlement

The First Nations University of Canada reached an out-of-court settlement with two of its former senior officials. Charles Pratt, former president, and Allan Ducharme, former VP of administration, were put on leave and then fired in 2010 following allegations of misuse of funds and submission of inappropriate expense claims. Both men denied the allegations. Ducharme filed a statement of claim in court, while Pratt sought arbitration over the firings. Details of the settlement were not released. “(FNUniv) wishes to make clear that neither Mr. Pratt nor Mr. Ducharme were found to be in dereliction of their respective duties nor guilty of any financial impropriety,” said an Aug. 3 news release from the university. “Similarly, Mr. Pratt and Mr. Ducharme would like to publicly express their confidence in the university’s current board of directors, its administration and its academic personnel.”