Calgary Stampede notifies males who were part of Young Canadians of settlement hearing

Aug 27, 2023

The Calgary Stampede issued a notice Thursday, notifying any males or people who identified as male who were involved in the Young Canadians organization of the Calgary Stampede between Aug. 1, 1987 and Jan. 31, 2014, of a hearing for the partial settlement of a class-action lawsuit.

Anyone who was a student, employee, contractor or volunteer with the Young Canadians organization of the Calgary Stampede Foundation and/or the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited is being informed.

In July, a partial settlement was reached in a class-action lawsuit against the Calgary Stampede Foundation, the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Limited and Philip Heerema, which alleged the Calgary Stampede allowed a performance school staffer to sexually abuse young boys.

Heerema received a 10-year prison sentence in 2018 after pleading guilty to charges including sexual assault, sexual exploitation, child pornography and luring.

The offences took place between 2005 and 2014, as well as in 1992.

Court documents from last week’s settlement — which include evidence from Heerema’s criminal trial – allege concerns about him were reported to Stampede authorities as early as 1988.

Thursday’s notice is to make public the settlement hearing date: Sept. 25 at 10 a.m.

“The proposed partial settlement resolved liability issues only, with damages issues to be addressed later,” the notice, shared on Calgary Stampede’s social media accounts, read. “The court must approve the settlement on liability.”

In a statement, the Calgary Stampede said:

“As part of the Calgary Stampede’s accountability to ensure all potential victims are notified about the class action lawsuit’s settlement agreement hearing, the Stampede has posted a notice to inform any male or anyone who identified as male who, between Aug. 1, 1987, and Jan. 31, 2014, was a student, employee, contractor or volunteer with the Young Canadians organization, that the court hearing for settlement approval on liability will take place on Sept. 25, 2023.

“The Calgary Stampede hopes to continue to work with the victims to achieve a settlement agreement on damages through further mediation.”

In a two-page document released on Tuesday, the Calgary Stampede Foundation released a set of enhanced policies aimed to improve youth safety centred around four themes: comprehensive, clarity, culture and compliance.

With files from Paula Tran, Global News