TICO Charges Travelgirl Inc. and Tarcia Brown with Unregistered Selling
by Bruce Parkinson
TICO prosecutes unregistered companies and individuals with the goal of maintaining a level playing field.
The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) has charged Travelgirl Inc. with one count of operating as a travel agent without being registered.
Additionally, TICO has charged Tarcia Brown with one count of operating as a travel agent without being registered and one count of being an Officer and Director of a corporation and failing to take reasonable care to prevent the corporation from committing an offence.
It is alleged that Travelgirl Inc. and Brown sold travel without TICO registration. Brown will appear in court on April 2, 2025, in Whitby, Ontario in relation to these charges.
In October 2024, she pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to fraud when selling travel, with sentencing to take place in April 2025. This is a separate matter from TICO’s charges.
Individuals convicted in Court of offences relating to the Travel Industry Act, 2002 are subject to fines of up to $50,000 and/or prison terms of up to two years. Corporations are subject to fines of up to $250,000.
In other news from Ontario’s travel regulator, after being charged by TICO, Mark Williams pleaded guilty to one count of operating as a travel agent without being registered. He was fined $8,750, inclusive of a victim surcharge, and also sentenced to a two-year probation period.
