Halifax Sexual Abuse Claims Blog

November 3rd, 2011

Former Catholic Priest Picot Appeals to Supreme Court of Canada

Charles Picot, a former Catholic priest employed by the Diocese of Bathurst in New Brunswick was acquitted of indecent assault against a former altar boy in March 2010. Picot had previously been convicted of other sexual assault charges involving other young boys.

The alleged victim appealed, and in a two to one decision Justice Bell ruled for the New Brunswick Court of Appeal that the trial judge didn’t properly consider all of the evidence. The Court of Appeal ordered a retrial.

It has come to our attention that Picot has now requested leave (permission) to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.

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November 3rd, 2011

Tribute to Nora Bernard

by John McKiggan

One of my clients sent me a link to a page with a number of videos from last weeks Truth and Reconcilation Commission hearings in Halifax.

Of particular interest is a video montage titled Nora Bernard – Eastern Thunder.

There was a wonderful event Wednesday evening where Nora was honoured for her work on behalf of Residential School survivors. I was delighted to be invited by Nora’s family to say a few words about Nora and her contribution to the National Indian Residential Schools class action.

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October 8th, 2011

Does Celibacy Cause Sexual Abuse: Debunking Myths about sexual abuse by Catholic priests

by John McKiggan

Myths About Priest Pedophilia

A reader sent me a link to an article published by the Catholic Education Resource Center titled 10 Myths about Priestly Pedophilia. The article purports to correct some of the “myths” about Catholic priest sexual abuse.

Admittedly the article is rather dated. But some of the arguments it makes to defend the Catholic Church are still being made today. So I thought some of the wildly inaccurate claims in the article were worth addressing, and correcting.

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October 6th, 2011

McKiggan nominated for journalism award

by John McKiggan

I am honoured (and surprised) to say that I have been nominated by Beyond Borders for their 2011 award for exemplary journalism covering issues related to the sexual exploitation of children.

Beyond Borders ECPAT Canada is a national non-profit organization that advances the rights of children to be free from sexual exploitation.

I have been nominated in the print category for my article that was published in The Lawyers Weekly:
The Catholic Church and Sexual Abuse : Is the Church’s response real action or window dressing?

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August 31st, 2011

Disclosure of Names of Pedophile Priests – A Good First Step

by John McKiggan

The Archdiocese of Boston recently decided to post the names of 159 priests who have been accused of sexual abuse. The Archdiocese also noted they have received allegations against 91 other priests. However, the names of the priests involved have not been made public. There is no indication if this is because the allegations have not been validated by the Church.

Change in Policy

The disclosure represents a rather radical shift in the traditional approach taken by the Catholic Church towards allegations of sexual abuse.

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August 30th, 2011

Date Set for Albert LeBlanc Sex Abuse Trial

by John McKiggan

Former Yarmouth priest Albert LeBlanc is facing 50 criminal sexual abuse charges involving allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency.

LeBlanc was scheduled to appear in court yesterday to schedule a date for his trial. LeBlanc did not atend court. Instead Yarmouth criminal defence lawyer Phil Star appeared for LeBlanc to set dates.

The trial has been scheduled to starty May 14, 2012 in provincial court.

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August 26th, 2011

Disabled Homes Abuse Class Action Certified – McKillop v. The Queen in Right of Ontario

by John McKiggan

I was pleased to see that a class action lawsuit filed by former residents of two institutions for developmentally disabled people has been certified by Justice Horkins of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

The class action was filed on behalf of David McKillop by his litigation guardian Christine Victoria Grace Clarke. The class action against the province of Ontarion involves two schools, Rideau Regional Center in Smith Falls, Ontario and South Western Regional Center in Chatham, Ontario.

Former residents of the institutions claim that they were physically and mentally abused after being placed in the institutions.

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August 25th, 2011

Vatican Denies Responsibility for Sexually Abusive Priests

by John McKiggan

Readers may be interested in my recent post to my Atlantic Canada Personal Injury Lawyer blog.

Vatican Denies Responsibility for Sexually Abusive Priests examines some recent American litigation against the Vatican and compares it to the situation here in Canada.

The post has been getting some interesting comments. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts.

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June 27th, 2011

Lahey’s Sentencing Delayed

by John McKiggan

In May former Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey pleaded guilty to pssession of child pornography. Lahey surprised the court by voluntarily asking to be incarcerated while waiting for his sentencing hearing.

I have already speculated about the reasons behind this move Lahey Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

On Friday Lahey was supposed to be back in court for his sentencing hearing. But the hearing has now been delayed because the psychiatrist hired to conduct a psychological examinaition has not provided a copy of his clinical file to the Crown Prosecutors.

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June 20th, 2011

The Catholic Church and Sexual Abuse

by John McKiggan

Is the church’s response real action - or window dressing?

Sexual abuse compensation claims have been filed against the Catholic Church in almost every province in Canada - and similar lawsuits are being filed in other countries around the world. But has the Catholic Church, as an institution, taken reasonable steps to address the problem of sexual abuse by priests?

Background

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