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Utah-Appointed Trustee For FLDS Is Seeking Control of Canadian School

By Howard M. Friedman

The Toronto Globe and Mail today reports that Bruce Wisan, the special fiduciary appointed by a Utah state court to oversee the assets of the FLDS Church, is moving to take control of an FLDS school in Canada. Wisan has petitioned the British Columbia Supreme Court for permission to take over the Bountiful Elementary-Secondary School, a private school located outside Creston, B.C. Wisan wants the B.C. court to appoint him as trustee to run the school and take title to its assets in order to obtain an equitable distribution of FLDS assets in Canada. He alleges that the organization that runs the school operates it in trust for the UEP. School directors say school property was not acquired for the UEP trust. There is a split among FLDS members in Canada. Some follow former leader Warren Jeffs, while other are led by Canadian Winston Blackmore. (Background.) Jeffs followers have excluded followers of Blackmore from the school. (See prior related posting.)

Full post as published by Religion Clause on August 04, 2008 (boomark / email).