Cornwall awaits a chance to heal

Today is a big day in Cornwall, Ontario, just across the St. Lawrence River from Massena. The Cornwall Public Inquiry is issuing its final report about the pervasive and well-orchestrated sexual abuse of children and teens in the community. From the CBC’s coverage, recalling the 2006 hearings:

A provincial commission heard they were men backed by institutions that paid bribes to keep the victims silent, discouraged police investigation, offered the opportunity for the accused to leave quietly, or even welcomed them back to positions where they would have access to children.

The final report will make recommendations about how institutions can improve their response to sexual abuse allegations. And it’s expected to chart a path forward for Cornwall. Victims’ attorney Dallas Lee told the CBC his clients want the report to make clear these cases were different from abuse elsewhere:

My clients are looking for a really legitimate, hard-hitting, definitive answer to the fact that Cornwall was not the norm and that something unusual happened there and this inquiry needed to be called and that it was worth it.

As a result of the inquiry, 400 people – victims or people who helped victims – have received provincial funded counseling. 400, in a city of 46,000 people!

Cornwall has a long way to go to heal from this dark era in its history, both internally and in its reputation across Canada.