Arguments begin in proposed $25M abuse lawsuit filed by former Sask. private Christian school students
CBC
Arguments have begun in a proposed $25-million abuse lawsuit filed by former students of a private Saskatoon Christian school.
"We're here to right an absolutely terrible wrong that's occurred in this province for decades. Everyone turned a blind eye to it, including the government," the students' lawyer, Grant Scharfstein, told reporters outside court Friday.
"The people that have done these things have to be accountable."
The lawsuit was filed last year following a series of CBC News stories about the Legacy Christian Academy and adjacent Mile Two Church in Saskatoon. Dozens of students said they were physically, emotionally and sexually abused. The abuse allegedly included severe beatings with large wooden paddles, exorcisms and solitary confinement.
Many students have also filed criminal complaints. Charges have been laid against three officials.
On Friday morning, there were about 30 students and supporters gathered outside the Court of King's Bench in Saskatoon.
"It's great to finally be in court now. It's good the ball's rolling," former student Caitlin Erickson said. "It's a day a lot of people never thought would come."
When the former students entered the courtroom, more than a dozen lawyers were already there, seated at tables and in the gallery. Others participated via telephone.
The school and church officials, none of whom appeared to be present, are represented by some of the most prominent lawyers in the province.
They include Gord Kuski and Jim Ehmann, who represented Catholic church bodies during a national dispute over residential school survivor compensation and Scott Spencer, who successfully defended farmer Gerald Stanley following the death of Colten Boushie. The Saskatchewan government is represented by Ministry of Justice senior Crown counsel Jared Biden.
Scharfstein, the students' lawyer, has more than 40 years experience in civil litigation.
On Friday, Scharfstein argued in court that the school and church officials need to file a statement of defence so the students can see what they're facing.
"It's unfair for the plaintiffs to be forced to proceed in a vacuum...this information is necessary to determine the real issues," Scharfstein said.
Lawyers for the former school officials disagreed. Kuski said Saskatchewan courts typically wait until after a lawsuit is "certified" before requiring statements of defence, although he admitted things are more flexible in places like British Columbia and Ontario.
Hundreds of thousands of used tires are piling up across Ontario as some companies responsible for tire recycling have stopped processing tires amid reduced provincial recycling regulations for tire producers, industry experts say.
People in Guelph facing homelessness will soon have a new place to go during the day.
Islanders are reminded to plan their rides ahead of holiday festivities if they plan on drinking alcohol or using cannabis.
Even before Gwen Healey Akearok began her new role as Nunavut’s Minister of Family Services, she was tuning into the Office of the Auditor General’s (OAG) hearings on the state of the Family Services department.
The racial reckoning of the COVID era saw Canada grapple with its checkered past — a process that led to statues of some foundational figures being removed, in some instances by force.
Holiday traditions are front and centre for many people at this time of year. But one Uxbridge family's Christmas tradition goes above and beyond the standard Christmas carols or holiday party.
A pedestrian is dead, and police are investigating following a collision in a north London parking lot on Tuesday afternoon.
Police have lifted a shelter-in-place order for parts of St. John's.
Nova Scotia Power is providing more information about the cyberattack on the utility earlier this year and its response in the months that followed.
A rare old-growth forest in Quebec’s Mauricie region is at the centre of a growing conflict between conservation advocates and the provincial government, after forestry roadwork was authorized in an area currently under review for protected status.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York sought an interview with ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten Windsor for connections to Canadian sex offender and fashion mogul Peter Nygard.
A mother is grieving after a carbon monoxide incident killed her 11-year-old son and put her husband in hospital in critical condition.
Just as Alberta begins to dig out from its last winter storm, most of the province is preparing for another blast of snow and brutal cold, just in time for the holidays.