Education Minister Jeanie McLean has briefed Yukon parents on the employment history of a former educational assistant who was jailed for a sex offence and who now faces additional charges.

She did so in a recent letter obtained by the Star. It follows a closed-door meeting with the Hidden Valley school council and families last Wednesday evening.

That was followed by an abject apology from Department of Education officials and the RCMP last Thursday during a news conference which McLean did not attend.

“In November 2019, we discovered that one of our employees at the time, William Auclair-Bellemare, had abused his trusted position as an educational assistant and committed acts of criminal abuse against a child,” McLean wrote in her letter to parents.

“He was immediately removed from the school and has not worked with Yukon students since that time.

“While we were able to quickly remove this employee from our schools in 2019 to ensure no further harm occurred, we have struggled with the tension between our obligations to protect student privacy and well-being, on the one hand, and to disclose information to families and the public about the safety of our schools on the other.

“The Department of Education was attempting to uphold its responsibility to act in a way that did not jeopardize the privacy and well-being of students and their families, or disobey privacy legislation or the court-ordered publication ban related to this matter,” McLean added.

“We acknowledge that we could have managed our response better and in a way that properly supported students and faamilies.

“We apologize that many families became aware of this situation through media reports rather than communications from the Department of Education,” she wrote.

“The RCMP have now conducted subsequent investigations, which have resulted in additional recent charges against this former employee for events that occurred between 2014 and 2018,” the minister added.

“We regret that we did not inform other families in a targeted and discreet way that also upheld privacy legislation and the associated publication ban.

“We acknowledge this has caused confusion, anger, and fear and a breakdown in trust between families, Hidden Valley Elementary School and the Department of Education. For this, we are deeply sorry.”

On Sept. 10, it was announced that the previous day, the Yukon RCMP Specialized Response Unit had arrested Auclair-Bellemare, 34.

He has been charged with offences related to alleged incidents involving two children occurring between Jan. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2018.

Auclair-Bellemare, who is free on bail, has been charged with sexual exploitation, sexual assault, sexual interference and the invitation to sexual touching. The court has imposed a publication ban on further details of the situation.

McLean wrote in her letter that she is providing more information and updates to parents and families.

“Families have asked us about William Auclair-Bellemare’s employment history prior to working at Hidden Valley Elementary. We are aware that he:

• worked at various schools in the territory as a teacher on call and French monitor from 2008 to 2012;

• worked as a temporary educational assistant at École Émilie-Tremblay during the 2012-13 school year; and

• volunteered with the All City Band.

“Mr. Auclair-Bellemare has never been back to Hidden Valley Elementary School or worked in any school setting since the allegations were made in November 2019,” McLean stated.

“If your child discloses concerning information about harm that has come from a school staff member, or you have reason to believe any school staff member has caused harm, I urge you to contact either of the following, who are well-positioned to investigate the matter:

• the RCMP’s Specialized Response Unit at 867-667-5555;

• the Family and Children’s Services Unit at 867-667-3002

“Supports are available for students and families.”

McLean also wrote about the review of the criminal investigation and response that was announced last Thursday by the RCMP and government.

“The Department of Education and Yukon RCMP are committed to learning from how our response to this situation could have been handled better to ensure families are appropriately supported and in a way that restores confidence in Yukon schools.

“The Yukon Royal Canadian Mounted Police has apologized to families for major errors in respect to how the matters were investigated, including not fully investigating other potential victims. The Yukon RCMP have initiated a complete review of its investigation by the BC RCMP - E Division Major Crimes Unit.

“The Department of Education will also conduct a public review of its policies and protocols to ensure it is fulfilling its obligation to keep Yukon students safe. We will work with parents and guardians to do this work as well as the RCMP, partner agencies and organizations.

“A major focus will be how we can be more effective in any future response, including greater clarity in the ways that we can communicate in a targeted and discreet way to other families that also upholds privacy legislation and any court-ordered publication bans.”

McLean promised to share more information about the review and how parents can participate.