'It’s validating for my clients': Lawyer for Waterville class action suit

The lawyer for a class-action lawsuit alleging historical sexual assaults at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville says the RCMP’s announcement of its investigation into the claims is “huge.”

The lawyer for a class-action lawsuit alleging historical sexual assaults at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville says the RCMP’s announcement of its investigation into the claims is “huge.”

“It’s validating, it’s validating to my clients who for a long time felt that their experiences wouldn’t be believed and they would be forced to suffer in silence,” Mike Dull said.

The class action lawsuit against Nova Scotia, the operator of the youth detention facility, began in 2019. The suit alleges a swim instructor at the centre committed acts including sexual interference, inappropriate touching, and sexual assault, between 1988 and 2017.

Wednesday, the Nova Scotia RCMP announced a hotline as part of its investigation into allegations of sexual assault during that time period at the centre, though it did not give any information about any potential suspects.

No charges have been laid, but the RCMP say “Operation Headwind” has taken statements from 70 men who said they were allegedly sexually assaulted while staying at the centre as adolescents.

Police also said, based on their investigation so far, they believe there may be more than 200 alleged victims in total.

Dull said that number does not surprise him.