Saskatoon city councillor named in abuse complaints

In the latest turn of events involving Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church, a Saskatoon city councillor has been implicated in the alleged abuses.

A number of former students at the school have filed a class-action lawsuit and criminal complaints, alleging serious abuse during their time there. The Ministry of Education has taken several steps in response, including appointing government supervisors at Legacy Christian Academy and the schools where staff members named in the lawsuit are currently working.

Grant Scharfstein, a Saskatoon lawyer who is representing the plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit against Mile Two Church, said some former students have lodged criminal complaints against Randy Donauer.

Donauer represents Saskatoon’s Ward 5, and sits on several boards and committees at City Hall. He’s been known to be a long-time attendee of Mile Two Church.

Scharfstein said he assumes the complaints will be investigated by police.

“I think that if the allegations are correct that have been made and they can be proven — and I have no reason to believe that they can’t be, based on what I’ve been told — I expect he will be dealt with as everybody else,” Scharfstein said.

In an emailed statement, Donauer offered what he called “the only statement I will be making on this issue.

“I deny any wrongdoing,” Donauer said. “If any of these unsubstantiated assertions are made against me, I will vigorously defend them.”

The naming of individuals in criminal complaints has no bearing on the civil proceedings moving forward, though Donauer could also potentially be named in the class action lawsuit.

“We haven’t determined for sure yet, but it may result in the claim being amended to add him as a named defendant as well,” Scharfstein said.

“The criminal process will take its own course, the civil class action will take its own course. The two, in that respect, aren’t related at all.”

According to the Saskatoon Police Service, more than 40 complaints have been made concerning alleged abuse at Legacy Christian Academy and Mile Two Church, which were formerly known as Christian Centre Church and Christian Centre Academy.

Police said they “won’t be able to comment on specifics” of who has been named in criminal complaints.

According to Scharfstein, no new names have been added to the list of defendants, but that could change over the coming months.

Scharfstein said there has been an application made to the chief justice to appoint a certification judge to the lawsuit, in order to “shepherd the action through the process.” Scharfstein said he doesn’t know yet who that will be.

The next step, he said, will be applying to officially certify the claim as a class action.