Diocese reaches settlement, bishop to address sex abuse with mass statement
London Free Press – September 7, 2018 (photo credit London Free Press)
On the heels of a settlement with an insurance company seeking compensation for sex abuse payouts – the culmination of a 10-year legal battle – the Roman Catholic bishop for Southwestern Ontario is issuing a sweeping statement responding to sexual abuse of minors by clergy, to be read at every parish....AXA Insurance had been seeking repayment of $10 million in settlements given to sex abuse victims – including those of Charles Sylvestre and John Harper – in relation to unproven allegations the diocese had exposed the insurer to higher risk by shuffling problem priests among parishes.
CTV News - August 1, 2026 Vancouver, BC - The B.C. Supreme Court has approved a $30-million settlement for a class-action lawsuit involving historical claims of physical, psychological and sexual abuse at Vancouver College and St. Thomas More Collegiate. More than 200 former students joined the lawsuit, which alleged that some abusive Christian Brothers had been transferred from the Mount Cashel orphanage in Newfoundland. The alleged abuse occurred between the 1970s and 2013 and caused lasting emotional, relationship, and substance-abuse problems for many victims. Although most class members supported the settlement, some criticized the defendants for a lack of accountability, while several chose to pursue individual lawsuits instead.
Bishop Accountability - July 7, 2026 Winnipeg, AL - A Winnipeg man in his mid-40s has settled a lawsuit alleging that he was sexually abused by two Catholic priests when he was 10 or 11 years old in 1990–91. The alleged abuse occurred while he was a student at St. Jean Baptiste Elementary School and a member of the local Catholic church. The lawsuit, filed in 2023, involved the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, the Red River Valley School Division and the estate of priest Léo Couture. The other priest, René Touchette, had previously been convicted of sexual offences in the 1990s and died in 2012. The settlement details have not been released, and none of the defendants admitted liability. The case was scheduled for trial in November 2027, but those proceedings will now be cancelled because of the settlement.