'Warnings were ignored': New CBC podcast explores pervasive past of sexual abuse at Ottawa high school
WARNING: This story and accompanying audio includes details of sexual assault readers may find disturbing
Amidst a decades-long system of sexual abuse within the music room from the 1970s to the early 2000s, Ottawa's Bell High School band marched forward.
In the years since, several victims have come forward to share their story. A new CBC Podcast, The Band Played On, hears these stories and delves into the campaign of grooming and assault that took place on school grounds by three teachers: Don Greenham, Bob Clarke, and Tim Stanutz.
All three were charged within weeks of each other in 2016 with crimes including sexual assault, indecent assault and gross indecency.
CBC senior investigative reporter Julie Ireton and The Current's Kristin Nelson seek to answer how the abuse at Bell High School went on for so long and why initial reports were brushed off in the new seven-part podcast.
"It looks at the impact that sexual abuse can have over decades — abuse that took place in locker rooms, on band trips, and in music rooms. Warnings were ignored. Authorities failed to act. The band played on," Ireton told The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.
The Band Played On also explores the pervasiveness of the abuse of power within Canadian schools, and how what happened in Ottawa was not an isolated incident.
"I started to hear from survivors of sexual abuse from across the country ... [from] men and women sharing stories of similar experiences — unwanted sexual encounters with teachers — at their own schools in their own communities from British Columbia to Nova Scotia to the Yukon," said Ireton.
Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation and an excerpt from The Band Played On.
Resources for victims of sexual assault:
Assaulted Women's Helpline: 1-866-863-0511
Attorney General's support services for male survivors of sexual abuse: 1-866-887-0015
Written by Émilie Quesnel. Produced by Geoff Turner and Julie Ireton.