A much-anticipated case involving a Saskatchewan church-run school will finally hit Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench on Friday.
A $25-million class action lawsuit against the provincial government and Mile Two Church, who operated Legacy Christian Academy located in Saskatoon, will officially be heard in court on July 7.
Dozens of former students have alleged that physical and sexual abuse took place at the school prior to 2005.
The statement of claim launched by former students Caitlin Erickson and Coy Nolin on Aug. 9, 2022, says corporal punishment was used as a correctional tool and that this was reflected in the publications of Mile Two Church Inc.
It also claims that employees, agents and representatives of Mile Two Church Inc. engaged in sexual relationships or sexual fondling of students or churchgoers.
The lawsuit has yet to be certified by the courts and the allegations have not been proven.
Over two dozen individual defendants are named in the lawsuit alongside Mile Two Church, most of whom are former staff and board members of the school or the church.
Three of them have already been charged by police in relation to the allegations and are currently before the courts.
Former athletic director Aaron Benneweis was the first to be charged and is facing charges of sexual assault and exploitation. Former principal Duff Friesen is facing eleven counts of assault with a weapon. Former school director John Olubobokun is facing 12 counts of the same charges.
None of the allegations against the individuals have been proven in court.
Former students have asked the province to re-evaluate why it funds the school as former students claim the school’s policies don’t align with the Human Rights Code of Canada.
The lawsuit also claims that the province hasn’t mandated proper curriculum to this school, as well as other Qualified Independent Schools.
Last November, a biology textbook from the school that was part of the ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) curriculum and SAICS (Saskatchewan Association of Independent Church Schools) received scrutiny after it was found stating that dinosaurs and people co-existed with each other, using the theme of dragons throughout history to support that theory.
The school also offered the equivalent of a post-secondary class without approval to do so, according to internal government emails obtained through a freedom of information request.
In a statement to Global News in June, the Ministry of Education said: “The Education Act, 1995 makes provision for the registration of independent schools. This provision allows parents/guardians to educate their children in accordance with their conscientious beliefs, which may include faith-based education, and provide them with a legitimate exemption from a public or separate school.”
“The Government of Saskatchewan believes in the importance of supporting parental choice and the ability to access faith-based education in Saskatchewan.”
After criminal complaints came forward about the ministry’s oversight of Saskatchewan Qualified Independent Schools, Ombudsman Saskatchewan investigated and released an early resolution report on May 31 with recommendations for the ministry.
“The Ministry acknowledged that it lacked reporting and investigation guidelines for addressing complaints related to registered independent schools,” the report stated.
“Our office made the following recommendation to the Ministry of Education: The Ministry of Education create and implement a complaints handling policy and procedure based on Ombudsman Saskatchewan Best Practices.”
The report stated that the Ministry of Education has applied the ‘best practices’ and provided a draft of its complaint handling policy and procedure to the investigators.
Global News reached out to the ministry for comment.
The case will open in court on the morning of July 7 at Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench before Justice Naheed Bardai.
According to court documents, an application was put forward by Mile Two Church asking to delay the requirement to file any defenses until after the lawsuit is officially certified by the court.
A defendant has also asked the court for more particulars about the case before the lawsuit is green-lit by the court.
On Friday, the court will argue whether defenses can be delayed and if plaintiffs have to answer to the demand for particulars from defendants before the lawsuit is certified.
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