Police decline to charge child care facility
Police in Nova Scotia announced Thursday they will not be filing criminal charges in connection with allegations of rampant physical and sexual abuse spanning decades at an orphanage that catered mostly to black children.
RCMP and Halifax Regional Police officials said in a joint statement that they investigated 40 complaints and travelled to five provinces to interview former residents of the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children in Dartmouth, but in the end they could not corroborate the information.
“Many years have passed since some of the allegations were to have taken place and some of those alleged to have committed criminal acts have since passed away,” the statement said.
A proposed class-action lawsuit and dozens of individual lawsuits have been filed against the home and the province.
One former resident who lived at the home from 1955 to 1959 has alleged in court documents that he was sexually assaulted by the “matron” of the home, forced to eat feces and that a staff member forced his face into a maggot-infested rabbit carcass.
Another former resident, who was at the home from 1976 to 1979, said in an affidavit that she had to perform “sexual favours” for one male staff member in order to get rides to places and that he would withhold allowances unless girls kissed him on the lips. Staff members told some of the children they were “stupid” and “useless,” she said.
In March, police appealed to anyone with information about alleged criminal acts at the home to come forward after complaints surfaced in media reports. Investigators subsequently interviewed 40 complainants in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta.
But “the evidence brought forward does not support the laying of criminal charges,” said the joint statement Thursday from RCMP Chief Supt. Brian Brennan and Halifax Regional Police Deputy Chief Bill Moore.
Halifax lawyer Raymond Wagner, whose firm is handling the proposed class-action and 55 individual lawsuits, said in an interview he was surprised by the decision not to file charges.
“We’re disappointed they didn’t see the strength of the cases from a criminal point of view, but that’s a different standard,” he said.
“It doesn’t change anything in terms of how we’ll approach this (civil) case.”
Wagner said he and other members of the community continue to press for a public inquiry into why years of allegations went ignored by the province and why the home received less funding compared to other group homes.
Ross Landry, Nova Scotia’s attorney general and minister of justice, said in a statement Thursday that he understands that people will be disappointed by the decision not to lay criminal charges.
“This is a very difficult issue for the people involved, for the community and for our province,” he said.
Landry said the province is consulting with community leaders, legal experts and childprotection officials about how to respond to calls for a public inquiry.