Partial settlement reached in lawsuit against Calgary Stampede over abuse of boys

A partial settlement has been reached in a class-action lawsuit against the Calgary Stampede that alleged the organization allowed a performance school staffer to sexually abuse young boys.

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

Heerema admitted to using his position with the Young Canadians School of Performing Arts, which performs each year in the Calgary Stampede Grandstand Show, to lure and groom six boys into sexual relationships. The school is operated by the Calgary Stampede Foundation.

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

In court Wednesday, lawyers for the plaintiffs and the Stampede announced the settlement. It involves an admission of negligence and breach of duty, but it must still be approved by a judge.

The Stampede would pay damages that are to be worked out later this summer.

"The Calgary Stampede takes responsibility in the hopes of helping the victims to heal," the Stampede said in a statement Wednesday.

"We can't change the events of the past, but we are deeply sorry for how the victims have been affected."

It said it has taken meaningful steps to enhance the safety and wellness of its young participants.

"Our commitment to those impacted is to do everything possible to guard against anything similar ever happening again."

The statement of claim alleged the performance school failed in its hiring and supervision of Heerema, that it created or permitted an atmosphere tolerant of inappropriate sexual behaviour, and that it didn't adequately investigate and act on one or more complaints.

Lawyer Gavin Price appeared in court on behalf of the three dozen plaintiffs, all men who were students, employees, contractors or volunteers with the performance school.

"We are resolving a significant portion of the class action, but not the entirety of it, so we resolve what I would call the liability phase," he said.

"We're trying to resolve what we can for the class and move on. There's an incredible amount of complexity when we're dealing with historical sexual abuse and sexual assault."

Price said working out the damages will be "a fight for another day."

Court of King's Bench Justice Alice Woolley set a hearing for Sept. 25 to determine whether to approve the deal after all the plaintiffs are notified and have a chance to object, if they wish.

"I really want to commend counsel for their work on this," she said. "It is no easy task to reach agreement on a case like this, when there's so much at stake for everyone involved."

About a dozen people were in the courtroom, including some of Heerema's victims.

"It was good to see the resolution on the issues of liability. It saved us having to go through a fight," one of the men said outside the courtroom.

"It's something that never should have happened and we go to take steps to address it and make sure it never happens again."

Another man said the settlement is "a relief and a long time coming."

However, he said he's not sure the performance school has been made safer.

"We're just supposed to take their word that they've made changes to these programs to address the culture that allowed what happened to happen for almost 30 years, and personally I don't really trust their ability to make changes without being held accountable."

Another man, who came forward with his story of abuse in 2013, said it has been a long process for all the victims.

"It's been 10 years and the Stampede has done nothing for me," he said.

"The criminal investigation and criminal trial took less time than the civil proceedings. This has gone on for so, so long."

Heerema is also named in the lawsuit but is still incarcerated, said Price, so the claim against him will be dealt with at a later date.