Ottawa man involved with Scouts Canada charged with sex offences, police say
Ottawa police say a 67-year-old former Scouts leader is facing charges in connection to historical sexual assaults on children.
Police announced Wednesday that John Rietveld is charged with buggery, indecent assault on a male, two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference with a person under 16 and two counts of invitation to sexual touching with person under 16.
Police say the charges follow an investigation into historical sexual assaults that occurred between July 1, 1978 and March 2006.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, Scouts Canada says Rietveld volunteered with the organization from 1967 to 1975, and was employed by Scouts Canada from 1975 to 2011.
"In July 2018, Scouts Canada was advised by police that Mr. Rietveld was under investigation," said Scouts Canada.
"We cooperated fully with the Ottawa Police Service and will continue to support their investigation in any way we can. While we have become aware that an incident took place at a Scouting event, the police have shared very few details with us."
Police say investigators believe there could be other victims, boys or girls, as offences were alleged to have occurred in Ottawa, the Niagara Region, Mississauga and Perth.
"It is alleged that one of the victims was assaulted while at a Jamboree,” police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa Police Service Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 5944.
Correction
Ottawa Police say the charges follow an investigation into historical sexual assaults that occurred between July 1, 1978 and March 2006, not 1968 as previously reported.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.