A retired North Vancouver elementary school teacher has been arrested to face allegations of decades of sexual abuse. The man was arrested at his North Vancouver home this morning on seven counts of indecent assault on students who attended the school in the 1970s and 1980s. Sgt. Peter DeVries said investigators also executed a search warrant at the man’s residence at the time of his arrest. Police have not released the suspect’s name. Since the RCMP received the initial complaint on June 14, 2022 about the man, who is now 82, seven victims have come forward. Police believe there are additional victims and are asking them to contact police at 604-969-7593. “This is an ongoing, complex investigation involving allegations of sexual assault that occurred more than 40 years ago,” DeVries said. “Many of these assaults took place during this man’s employment as a teacher at Upper Lynn Valley Elementary School between 1970 and 1982, with additional assaults allegedly occurring after his employment as a teacher ended in 1982.” Police are aware that there has been communication via social media between a number of people who may have been affected. They are asking these people to speak to the police. “Our priorities right now are to speak with those who have yet to come forward, gather all available evidence so we can thoroughly investigate these allegations, and support all victims as we go through this process,” DeVries said. “We know this will be distressing news for members of the community, and especially for victims. For some, hearing this may rekindle memories of past trauma. If you are a victim, please reach out for support. We want you to know that we are here, we will listen to you and support you”. The North Vancouver RCMP Crisis Intervention Unit provides support to victims and witnesses of crime and other major traumatic events and can be reached 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 604-969-7540.
