Former Olympic rower and mutual fund salesman Harold Backer will have his day in court next September.
Backer has pleaded not guilty to two charges of fraud over $5,000. He has elected to be tried by judge alone in provincial court. His trial is scheduled to start on Sept. 10, 2018.
Backer disappeared Nov. 3, 2015, after telling his family he was going on a bike ride.
An image from a security camera in Port Angeles, Washington, showed him riding his bike away from the Coho ferry terminal in the early afternoon.
The Crown has said neither the police nor the prosecution know where Backer went when he disappeared.
He did not resurface for about 17 months.
Backer wrote a letter to several of his clients expressing remorse for decisions he made that cost them money and taking responsibility for the financial losses.
He turned himself in to Victoria police on April 13, 2017, and was released on $50,000 bail.
At Backer’s last court appearance, lawyer Joven Narwal filed a notice of application alleging Backer’s charter rights were breached a number of times during the police investigation. The Times Colonist is applying to the court for a copy of the application.
It’s not known whether Backer will face more charges.
