Court documents recently filed as part of a class action lawsuit claim the Calgary Stampede was notified an adult staffer with The Young Canadians had been sexually abusing teenage boys years before a police investigation was launched.
Phillip Heerema received a 10-year prison sentence in 2018 after being convicted on charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child pornography and luring.
Heerema pleaded guilty mid-trial to using his position with the The Young Canadians — a group that performs in the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show each year — to lure and groom six underage male singers and dancers into sexual relationships. The offences took place between 2005 and 2014, as well as incidents that occurred in 1992.
The class action lawsuit alleges that one of the victims, who was 16 at the time, approached a Grandstand Show executive in 1988 and reported being abused by Heerema.
He claims to have been told that his allegations could have serious consequences. The victim says he did not pursue the matter further out of fear of being kicked out of the Young Canadians program.
Nearly 20 years later, an instructor with the The Young Canadians allegedly sent a formal complaint in 2008 in which she expressed concerns regarding the nature of Heerema’s relationship with some of the senior male performers.
The lawsuit claims the complaint was received and an email was then sent to Heerema’s boss at the time.
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In a document filed in April of this year, the vice-president of the Calgary Stampede says she wasn’t aware of any employees or volunteers who had knowledge of the abuse prior to the police investigation that began in 2014.
None of the latest allegations have been proven in court.
In response to the class action lawsuit, the Calgary Stampede issued a statement to Global News that included the following:
“Although it can’t heal the trauma caused, the Calgary Stampede took immediate action at the time of the formal complaint in 2014. Since that time, we have made efforts to enhance our operations, policies and procedures, and we continue to focus on the safety and well-being of our youth.”
Calgary Stampede officials did not elaborate on which of their policies have changed.
A hearing on the class action is scheduled to take place in July.
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