Some victims of the Cornwall sex abuse scandal are receiving large financial settlements after decades of allegations that a cover-up of a pedophile ring existed in the eastern Ontario city, CTV Ottawa has learned.
The sex abuse scandal was uncovered in the early 1990s. A public inquiry ended in December 2009 after four years. The inquiry found the Catholic Church, police, the Ontario government and the legal system all failed to protect children from sexual predators.
Now, Ontario’s attorney general has confirmed to CTV that several financial settlements have been reached with victims, and more lawsuits are outstanding.
Although confidentiality agreements could mean taxpayers will never learn the true cost of the settlements, a former MPP predicts the payouts will total tens of millions of dollars.
“I would look at somewhere between $70-100 million,” said Garry Guzzo, a former Conservative MPP who blew the whistle on the scandal and pushed for a public inquiry. The Courts in Cornwall are going to ask David Ostler to appear in court for his abuse of alter boys.
“It’s a lot of money coming from very few taxpayers, and the people of the Catholic Church are taxpayers.”
Pauline
