Global News has learned that Calgary Police will not proceed with charges against any third parties in the case of former Calgary teacher Michael Gregory.
In February 2021, Gregory, 57, was charged with 17 sex-related offences for the alleged abuse of six students two decades earlier.
Gregory was a junior high science and outdoor education teacher at John Ware school in Calgary from 1986 to 2005. His licence was later suspended.
Just days after his arrest, he was found dead on Quadra Island, off the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, B.C. Sources confirmed he took his own life.
Following his death, the police investigation continued.
In total, 17 complainants went forward to police alleging abuse as well as 35 witnesses.
The investigation then extended to include third parties.
“We did seek Crown counsel opinion to move forward with investigating whether or not there is anybody else accountable, whether that be an institution or a person, and if so, what would we be investigating as police?” said Det. Timothy Fitzgibbon of the Calgary Police sexual assault investigative unit in an interview with Global News.
Police have now released the findings of that investigation.
“After having Crown counsel do a review on the matter, it was determined that as of today, there are no further charges that will be pursued against any person or corporate entity, such as CBE or the ATA for example,” Fitzgibbon said.
“Based on the evidence that we have in our possession today, there’s insufficient evidence to proceed in any other fashion towards criminal charges or responsibility of any other kind against another entity or person.”
Police said both victims and parents told investigators information was provided to officials about alleged abuse many years earlier, but added it was not enough to lead to criminal charges.
“Information was provided to whether it be a principal or another teacher or to the ATA during an investigation that these things were happening,” Fitzgibbon said.
“Still, based on that information, the threshold for proceeding in a criminal proceeding is incredibly high and the evidence to support the exact nature of the knowledge, I would say, did not meet the standard.”
Gregory was the subject of a professional conduct hearing in May 2006 for alleged misconduct that took place over a 14-year period from 1992 to 2005.
He was charged with unprofessional conduct under the Teaching Profession Act for failing to treat students with dignity and respect, and failing to maintain the honour and dignity of the profession.
Gregory pleaded guilty to both charges.
The written report by the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s professional conduct committee details numerous incidents of inappropriate behaviour, including “hazing activities” such as throwing canoe paddles, ski poles, rocks and dead fish at students; wrestling students to the ground and “pounding on them” to teach them lessons; and commenting on the bodies of female students.
The report further states Gregory “abused, endangered and demeaned students,” and cites a number of examples including “force-feeding a student Gregory’s belly button hair, receiving a back massage from a student at a campfire and duct taping a student to a tree with student help.”
The committee found Gregory “carried on an inappropriate relationship with two female high school students with whom he discussed his emotional, health and marital issues, initiated and participated in frequent text messaging, emailing and phoning at all hours of the day and night and speculated how it would be to have a sexual relationship with them.”
In the written decision, the committee said Gregory showed disregard for the safety, well-being and dignity of the students in his care, mentally and physically abused his students, coerced and manipulated students for his own benefit, and attempted to conceal his wrongdoing through the misuse of his authority as a teacher and program leader.
Gregory was suspended from the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) for two years, to be served concurrently.
Global News has obtained a letter, dated July 31, 2006, from the former Minister of Education of Alberta to the ATA, acknowledging that the ATA notified the province of Gregory’s suspension by the professional conduct committee. The minister confirmed that Gregory’s teaching authority would be suspended for two years.
When asked why the province didn’t report this to the police in 2006, Global News was told the current government “cannot speak to the actions of previous ministers or governments.”
The ATA said that “its hearing committee was not presented with evidence of many of the sexual allegations that have more recently come to light.”
Calgary police confirm its investigation showed Gregory did not teach again after 2005.
In November 2021, a proposed class-action lawsuit against Gregory’s estate and the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) was launched.
The civil action alleges administrators and staff within the CBE were aware of sexual misconduct but didn’t take action to stop it.
To date, 27 students and three teachers have come forward to join the $40-million lawsuit.
The CBE has filed a statement of defence, denying that it is liable. It states “the plaintiffs were not within the care or supervision of the CBE … and/or the CBE was unaware of the alleged misconduct”
The CBE asks for the dismissal of the claim against the board in its entirety.
The Estate of Michael Gregory has also filed a statement of defence “denying any wrongdoing on its part or the part of Mr. Gregory.”
The document states that Gregory’s wife first became aware of any of the allegations of abuse on the day he was arrested in February 2021.
The statement of defence goes on to suggest the civil action wasn’t filed in time and is past the period prescribed in the “Limitations Act.”
The allegations detailed in the lawsuit have not been proven in court.
Meanwhile, Calgary police said they would keep the investigation open.
“It’s not something that we will currently pursue,” Fitzgibbon said. “However, it is the type of investigation whereby if new information were to come forward, there might be leads for us to pursue and at which point we would be obligated to pursue those.”
Fitzgibbon said the magnitude and scope of this case are something he’s never seen before in his 20-plus years with police.
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen a case such as this within the city of Calgary. I’m not familiar if there is even another one within our nation of a predator of this sort within our school system,” he said.
“Understandably, it’s important for us to learn about what happened so that we can work with our community partners and try to prevent incidents like this from ever occurring again and also to understand if there are any other levels of accountability that need to be looked into by the police.”