Scouting volunteer faces sex charges

30-year-old suspended from Scouts and job with city

A 30-year-old suspended Scouts Canada volunteer faces 18 charges after three boys claimed to have been sexually assaulted.

Scott Graham Stanley, 30, is also suspended from his job with the City of Ottawa.

He was arrested on Thursday and charged with six counts of sexual assault, six counts of sexual interference with a person under 16, three counts of invitation to sexual touching, one count of telecommunication with a person under the age of 14 for specific criminal offences and two counts of telecommunication with a person under the age of 16 for specific criminal offences.

Police said the alleged assaults happened between 2012 and 2013 when he was working as a Scouts Canada volunteer and the three alleged victims were all under the age of 16.

Stanley appeared in court Friday morning wearing a green T-shirt with yellow letters that read, “I’m not a hippie, I just hike a lot.”

Stanley quietly said his name as he entered the prisoner’s box. The heavy-set man with short, dark hair and glasses used an inhaler during his brief court appearance.

According to Stanley’s LinkedIn profile, the Arnprior District High School grad has been a lifeguard for the City of Ottawa since November 2008.

Stanley is an aquatics supervisor at the pool at Goulbourn Recreation Complex in Stittsville. The City of Ottawa said he is currently suspended without pay and that they are co-operating fully with the police investigation.

In an emailed statement to the Citizen, Chief Commissioner Andrew Price said Scouts Canada suspended Stanley on May 12 “for not adhering to all of Scouts Canada’s Child & Youth Safety Policies and Procedures.”

“Shortly thereafter Scouts Canada shared all of the information it had on the situation with Ottawa Police. Since that time we have cooperated fully with the police,” the statement continued.

“Nothing is more important to Scouts Canada than the safety of the youth in our care. Our leaders are required to complete rigorous training and police screening procedures before they are allowed to work with youth. Prior to May 2013 Stanley had met all of these requirements and his most recent PRC was successfully completed in June of 2012.”

Stanley does not have a criminal record, which isn’t surprising given the requirements to volunteer for Scouts Canada and work for the City of Ottawa. The city also said he passed all checks.

In order to become a volunteer with Scouts Canada, in addition to a criminal record check, someone must first go through a personal interview with Scouts Canada staff and provide three references.

The Scouts Canada website describes what scouting does for youth who are involved:

“Scouting volunteers have provided generations of Canadian youth with a first opportunity to sleep in a tent, to experience leadership and to build self-reliance and self-confidence,” the site says. “Volunteer dedication, resourcefulness and enthusiasm are vital to Scouting.”

A fully trained volunteer leader must go through nearly 50 hours of online of training, a three-month orientation and a probation period.

Volunteers are expected to commit between 12 and 14 hours a month at a minimum.

In 2011, after allegations of historical sexual abuse at the hands of Scouts Canada leaders surfaced, Scouts Canada issued a six-minute video apology. The message — addressed to parents, scouters and supporters — came after a CBC investigation determined that nearly 350 scouts alleged abuse from the 1940s onward and that Scouts Canada kept a confidential list of former volunteers who had been banned from the organization for abusing children. That list was reportedly housed at the organization’s headquarters in Ottawa on Baseline Road.

The investigation also found that the organization had signed confidentiality agreements with victims of sexual abuse. In the public apology, then chief commissioner of Scouts Canada Steve Kent said the “safety and health” of scouts is a “solemn obligation that we do our best to meet with great care and concern.”

Kent said those who have harmed children through the program “violated their obligations to our movement and to the youth entrusted to their care.” He offered a “complete” and “heartfelt” commitment to protecting scouts. Admitting that their efforts to prevent sex abuse crimes hadn’t always been successful, Kent committed to a sweeping review of their records and policies.

A full-day bail hearing has been set for Monday.