Marky Mark@MrkStdngr:
The whole “Transgendered People are grooming our Children” was a Lie made up by the establishment involving Church and State to deflect from the real abusers (Priests, Executives, etc).
‘We are deeply sorry’: Calgary Stampede admits liability in decades-long sex assaults involving Young Canadians performers by Mark Villani, July 26, 2023, CTV News Calgary
The Calgary Stampede has accepted liability and negligence that the organization was aware an adult staffer with The Young Canadians had been abusing teenage boys for years before a police investigation was launched.
A settlement was announced Wednesday between the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited, and Calgary Stampede Foundation and a number of members of the Young Canadians.
The settlement agreement was reached pending any objections and the approval of a judge at a notice of settlement hearing scheduled for September 25.
After originally denying any wrongdoing, the Stampede has now agreed to pay 100 per cent of liability damages, but punitive damages have not been agreed on.
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An exact dollar figure of damages and the method in which damages will be awarded to victims has also not yet been determined.
In a statement to CTV News on Wednesday, the Stampede said it ‘take full responsibility in the hopes of helping victims to heal.’
“We can’t change the events of the past, but we are deeply sorry for how the victims have been affected,” read the statement.
“Our commitment to those impacted is to do everything possible to guard against anything similar ever happening again, and we have taken meaningful steps to enhance the safety and wellness of our youth participants.”
Pffft, I have no trust or respect for any fucker that enables horrific crimes like these, that includes all authorities involved that help keep rapists raping.
HEEREMA SENTENCED
Phillip Heerema was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2018 for sexually exploitative acts related to six members of the Young Canadians, a performing arts group that stars nightly in the Calgary Stampede’s Grandstand Show.
Heerema was convicted for incidents that took place for more than two decades between 1992 and 2014.I feel sicker than sick. And asshole cons are abusing drag queens and kids and their parents for attending harmless drag shows in Alberta? Where are those screaming cons now?
Documents filed in the lawsuit, which was launched in 2017, also allege that Heerema’s abusive behaviour may have stretched back as far as 1987.
Heerema has counsel but no lawyer was present Wednesday. He is not participating in the part of the damages/liability process, which is entirely an undertaking of the Calgary Stampede.So the abuser pays not one penny? Slick trick Stampede and Alberta “justice” enabling it.
The lawsuit alleged that one of the victims, who was just 16-years-old at the time, approached a Grandstand Show executive in 1988 and reported being abused by Heerema.
The victim claimed to have been told that his allegations could have serious consequences. He said he did not pursue the matter over fear that he may have been removed from the Young Canadians group.WTF Calgary Stampede!?!!! I’ve always hated the Stampede, now I know why.
VICTIMS RESPOND: ‘SOMETHING THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED’
CTV News has learned that more than 70 individuals are involved in this class action lawsuit, ranging from those who allege to have been lured or photographed, abused or assaulted.
Young Canadians lawyer Gavin Price said that not all victims are represented in the class action suit.
The victims cannot be identified under a publication ban, but some did provide brief statements following court proceedings on Wednesday.
“It’s something that never should have happened and we have got to take steps to address it and make sure it never happens again,” said one victim.
“I don’t really feel relieved just yet, there’s still quite a bit of work to do. It’s been challenging. A lot of my friends still to this day are from the organization. I got a lot of close relationships, some of those people were victims, others weren’t, and there’s a lot of camaraderie among the people, and my generation that were there.”
Another victim that goes by the initials N.B. also provided a brief statement noting that more work needs to be done to hold the Stampede accountable.
“So far we’re just supposed to take their word that they’ve made changes to these programs to address the culture that allowed what happened for almost 30 years and personally I don’t really trust their ability to know how to make changes,” they said.Wise, very wise not to trust them.
N.B. was the representative plaintiff in the class action lawsuit.
‘NO END IN SIGHT’
Another victim, who asked not to be named, spoke to CTV about the announcement.
“I think it is a step in the right direction. This is not uncommon for the Stampede to come around at the eleventh hour,” they said.
“Victims have been going through this since the investigation launched in 2012. Victims have not been able to move on since this started.”
They expressed a degree of skepticism over the Stampede’s announcement that it’s committed to creating a safe environment for performers.If Stampede officials were committed, they would have just done it decades ago. Blabbering about it indicates to me that Stampede doesn’t give a shit, e.g. “The Show much go on, and if that means a few kids get exploited, raped, so be it. Real action is needed, not words.
“It’s very clear that not enough was being done back…when I was a part of the Young Canadians program,” they said.
“I’m not necessarily optimistic that the Stampede has come around and will be able to prevent this in the future.
“I don’t think therre was any question in anyone’s minds that the Stampede was liable,” they added. “It’s taken since 2013, when this whole thing started, the criminal investigation started, to get us to a point (today) where the Stampede has now said they are liable.
“I don’t think it needed to take this long.
“Hearing that the Stampede is taking on liability is definitely a step in the right direction, but again, it’s only a partial settlement deal. There’s still a long way to go, and we are far off from being able to put this behind us.
“There’s no end in sight for victims.”
STAMPEDE COMMITS TO SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR PERFORMERSPffft! Stampede sounds like frac’ers and popes.
The Calgary Stampede said it remains committed to a safe environment for all of its performers and has put forth the following enhancements:
- The implementation of a comprehensive system of policies and procedures that ensure safe programs and environments including policies on protected disclosure, duty of care and investigation procedures.
- A commitment to a culture of transparency and disclosure where youth are encouraged to come forward with concerns, establishing an environment where they feel comfortable and feel safe to do so.
- State-of-the-art security measures in the performing arts studio, including video surveillance, electronically-controlled access points, and see-through glass doors in all rooms and offices.
Yvonne Dean @Frazzling:
Every one of these CSE execs who knew about this and covered it up should be named.Indeed, but, I expect the judge will make sure this quickly goes quietly away to protect those execs, and any other rapists at the Stampede still exploiting kids there. Just like frac’ers and priests, where there’s one rat….
C Bruton @LaxAtlDfwYow:
We knew the Stampede fostered animal abuse. Now we know they enabled child abuse as well. Shut it down.And, shut down the catholic raping church and the raping frac’ers. But, the judge’s job is to make this quietly go away, pronto, to let exploitation by other Stampede officials and staff continue, while blaming drag queens.
Momma Dray (she/her) @ssbstrongsmart:
The silence from the people who stand on street corners screaming about protecting children speaks volumes.
StL11@st_l11:
Disgusting. We have to change this cover up behavior and stop enabling abusers…… men in powerful places more often than not.Humans will wipe out life on this planet long before that ever happens. The raping patriarchy wants to keep raping; it has billions of dark money at its disposal and endless lawyers and judges helping rapists keep raping.
bunny@Bun_E_Kirwin:
Names need to be publicly announced. Those involved, those who covered it up, those who knew but didn’t act… all of them. Expose the rot & sickness, or it just keeps going.yes, it just keeps going, thanks to our judges, lawyers, and police.
D.Mc@Serching123:
yes we are all waiting, no drag queen no Gays or trans, Just a good old boy, likely aFreeDUMB guy and religious,
1978 Ford Bronco @FreeCDN_Citizen:
Oh my goodness. Right wing christians are evil!They sure are, I know, I was raped by too many of them. They’re just as evil as the catholic church and its rape-enabling popes, and oil and gas frac’ers raping air, land, food, communities, families and drinking water supplies.
Lalani Vanderheide@vanderheidl69:
For all the LGBTQ haters out there: This is a prime example of a pedophile – straight, married, pillar of the community. Most pedophiles are straight men that put themselves in positions of power over youth.Yes, all the men that raped me when I was a girl, were married Christian church going men, with kids of their own. Beyond satanic.
Detail from The Hunter, painting by Marianna Gartner
Michelle from Canada@RavenCreative2:
They aren’t ‘abusers’. They are child rapists. Start calling it what it is.
hippie teacher@hippieteacher:
Rape. Call it what it is.
NOT Broken – My Canada is NOT Broken@DavoZed:
Remind me again why the Stampede hasn’t been shut down? That’s right, it’s part of the toxic patriarchy in the city. Foolish me.
Karen@Karen83079126:
10 years for abusing at least 70 children is a slap on the wrist and an insult to the victimsI expect he’ll be out in five years or less and will likely get a rape-friendly judge or a judge who also likes to rape kids, to remove his record so he can rape again and again and again, soon as he’s out. I bet Stampede will even put him back to work with kids. That’s how the raping patriarchy rolls, thanks to our authorities, notably judges, and why I refused to fulfill my dream of having kids of my own. Too risky they’d be raped iIn our vile often violent patriarchy. Rapists cover for fellow rapists, and they are everywhere, notably in religions and positions of authority; our legal industry’s self regulator even licences known convicted pedophiles to practice law. FFS, it doesn’t get much worse or more obvious than that.
Bonnie Kowaliuk@Kowaliukb:
Makes one wonder what other big name organizations have been covering up child sexual abuse & exploitation? How many of the elite in Alberta have indulged themselves ? Makes me wonder about Jason Kenney, Pierre Poilievre, Michael Cooper, Steve Harper et al.Some people need to be locked up & the key thrown away. These monsters are not capable of remorse.
rmthespian@ieat2manyTACOS:
We take full responsibility after denying it 100% For fuck sakes. Horrible
Lauri Forcade@ForcadeLauri:
All those supporters of the Stampede should be ashamed of themselves supporting an organization WHO KNEW ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULTS!!!!!! Some who knew should serve jail time!!
Sister Denby (@email hidden; JavaScript is required)@DenbySister:
I didn’t read anything about any executives or board members being fired… do I have that right?Of course not, they get big bonuses every year they helped keep the rapes covered up. It’s a club, a rape club.
WooBird Aunt Bird@WooBird5:
The outraged conservative idiots can only squeal about imaginary abuse. They cannot contemplate the real deal. It’s too…real.
Sandy Garossino @Garossino:
Is it negligence to wilfully fail to report child/youth disclosures of sexual abuse
Which is required by law?
Derek Anderson Law: 780-414-5400@DerekCrimLaw:
Potentially criminally negligent.