Thursday, September 06, 2007

A Disgrace Exposed : Grenville Christian College

Coinciding with the closure of the elite Grenville Christian College near Brockville, Ontario, comes a series of articles in the Globe and Mail. Describing the school and the cult that ran it, the Globe has exposed a history of abuse that has previously escaped public attention.

I was aware of some of these stories via another route, about which I will say nothing, but I do urge readers to familiarize themselves with the Globe stories:

Dark past behind school's demise

Apology for 'hurt and pain' at private school

Born into abusive grip of a cult

Anglican bishop rejects ex-student's plea to investigate abuse claims

That something like this could be going on right here in Eastern Ontario, in recent years, completely escaping media scrutiny and the attention of law enforcement or child protection services is almost unbelievable. This is not the dark ages when some of the powers-that-be thought it was a good idea to drag native children from their parents and incarcerate them; this is only a few years ago, when the lessons of residential schools had already been well learned.

It's time for the staff and members of the cult Community of Jesus to face their own 'light session' now - let the spotlight of national media fall on them and illuminate them, hopefully long enough for law enforcement, or at least lawyers, to find them before they scuttle, cockroach-like, for shelter.

The shining of this light will doubtless be aided by the revelation today that Ottawa mayor Larry O Brien served on the board of GCC. (h/t Bourque) If nothing else motivates the press, that ought to do it.