Three former Kingston, Ont., priests accused of sexual abuse of minor

According to the Jesuits of Canada, three men who worked at Kingston Catholic high school Regiolpolis Notre Dame at different times between 1954 and 1968 have been accused of what the Jesuits call ‘multiple counts of credible allegations of sexual abuse of a minor’.

The religious order says none of the allegations they are aware of are tied to victims in Kingston and all three men are now deceased.

William Savoie died in 1989, and worked at what was then called Regiopolis College from 1958 to 1960; Lorne Trainor, died in 2000, worked at the school from 1954 to 1957; and George Topp, who died in 1997, worked there from 1962 to 1968 and also worked at St. Mary’s Cathedral from 1993 to 1996.

In all, the Jesuit order released the names of 27 men of their order on march 13th who are tied to accusations of sexual abuse of minors. In a statement attached to the list on the Jesuits of Canada website, the organization’s Ontario head, Erik Oland, said:

“The undertaking of our audit and the decision to publish the names of those credibly accused express our commitment to transparency and accountability.”

Meanwhile, in its own statement, the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board said:

“The abuse of minors in any form is abhorrent and antithetical to our mission as a catholic learning organization to build faith-filled learning communities where each member is loved, inspired, and successful.”

A representative of the archdiocese of Kingston, of which St. Mary’s is part, said that the archdiocese has online resources for people to report instances of abuse.

The Jesuits are also encouraging anyone who may have suffered abuse by a Jesuit to contact them and local law enforcement.