(Staff) The Anglican Church of Canada and two of its priests have been named in a $1-billion lawsuit launched by former students of Grenville Christian College near Brockville in eastern Ontario. The former students claim they were abused at the school.

The class-action lawsuit also names the Berean Fellowship International of Canada and the Massachusetts-based Community of Jesus, Inc. as defendants.

The two priests named as defendants served as headmasters at the college: Rev. Alistair Haig from 1970 until 1984; and Rev. Charles Farnsworth from 1984 until 1997.

(A third headmaster and Anglican priest, Rev. Gordon Mintz, was not named in the lawsuit. He had served as headmaster for only the last two years, until the school closed in 2007.)

The statement of claim was filed on Oct. 17 in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Milton, Ont., by the law firm Haber and Associates on behalf of Tim Blacklock, Mark Vincent and Martin Whyte, three former students who would represent the others in the class. The suit extends to former students who attended the school between 1970 and 2007 and could involve hundreds of people. 

The statement of claim said that the Anglican Church of Canada and the Community of Jesus "financed, operated, managed, supervised, and/or controlled" the college.

Grenville Christian College in Brockville, Ont., closed in August after 37 years. In September, Ontario Provincial Police launched a criminal investigation.

The statement alleges that the defendants breached their duties to the students, breached the Education Act and were negligent "in the establishment, funding, operation, management, administration, supervision and/or control of the school" between Jan. 1, 1970 and July 31, 2007.

Specifically, it claims that students who attended the college during that time were "physically, emotionally and psychologically abused and harassed sexually by those who were responsible for their welfare."

The allegations have not been proven in court and no statement of defence has yet been filed.

The litigants are also seeking "complete reimbursement for all tuition and other fees paid to the college" with compound interest from the date of the payment.

The 19-page court document states Rev. Farnsworth of Brockville, Ont. "questioned a number of female students with respect to their sexual experience and chastity, and on numerous occasions verbally attacked and humiliated female students with insults of a sexual nature that were coarse, obscene, lewd and degrading."

The lawsuit states that Rev. Haig of Coldwater, Ont. "selected incompetent or immoral persons to serve as teachers" and that he "sanctioned, authorized, and approved the physical beating of students by teachers and non-teaching staff."

A diocesan inquiry has been put on hold while the civil suit is in progress. Bishop George Bruce had interviewed about forty former students. The OPP criminal investigation is ongoing.

The statement of claim alleges that Grenville Christian College, the Anglican Church and the Community of Jesus Inc. were negligent for employing incompetent staff and "permitted, either expressly or tacitly, teachers and non-teaching staff to physically, emotionally and psychologically abuse students."

The lawsuit also alleges that bizarre disciplinary practices such as "light sessions" were used to punish pupils at the boarding school. “Students who were believed to have sinned were awakened from their dormitory beds during the night by teachers and/or non-teaching staff, who would then take them to a darkened room, shine a bright light on their faces, denounce them as sinners, and berate, castigate, harangue and humiliate them until they renounced their alleged sins."

The school is currently owned by the Community of the Good Shepherd.