Posted: May 26, 2021 4:00 AM ET | Last Updated: May 26
Noni Classen is director of education at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, based in Winnipeg. (Julie Ireton/CBC)
In the wake of two high-profile cases involving teachers in eastern Ontario accused of sexual crimes against students one charged, the other convicted parents and other advocates are calling for better oversight to protect children, including an independent body to investigate complaints.
Rick Despatie of Ottawa, also known as Rick Watkins, is awaiting trial on nine counts of sexual offences against children, while another teacher, Jeff Peters, is serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for two sex-related convictions involving his former students at a high school in Perth, Ont.
Posted: May 26, 2021 2:03 PM ET | Last Updated: May 26
Rick Watkins, 57, better known by his former surname Despatie, taught math to grades 7 and 8 at St. Matthew High School in Orléans.(@Montreal1963/Twitter)
An Ottawa high school math teacher who for years has been the subject of complaints by parents has been charged with dozens more sexual offences involving 14 former students.
Rick Watkins, 57, better known by his former surname Despatie, is facing 45 new charges, Ottawa police sexual assault detectives announced Wednesday. Mr. Despatie taught math to grades 7 and 8 at St. Matthew High School in Orléans. More than a dozen former students and concerned parents told CBC News they had complained about his conduct for more than a decade before he was initially charged in April.