Calgary Stampede apologizes to victims of Young Canadians abuse as $9.5-million settlement is approved

The Calgary Stampede apologized to the dozens of men who were sexually abused and bullied when they were children performing in the festival’s glitzy evening show, ending years of legal wrangling as a judge approved a $9.5-million settlement package on Friday.

Justice Paul Jeffrey of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench approved a deal between the Stampede and the complainants in a class-action lawsuit that was launched in 2017. The apology, delivered in a Calgary court and released publicly, was part of the settlement agreement.

The men involved in the class action accused the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Ltd. and the Calgary Stampede Foundation of failing to protect them when they were members of the Young Canadians, the song-and-dance troupe best known for starring in the Grandstand Show during the 10-day festival. Philip Heerema was sentenced in 2018 to 10 years in prison for sexually exploitive acts related to six former Young Canadians.

Lawyers involved in the case have identified roughly 156 men who are eligible for compensation because, as boys, they participated in the Young Canadians between 1987 and early 2014, when one child reported Mr. Heerema to police. Payments to class members will vary between $500 and about $200,000, depending on their interactions with Mr. Heerema, who was granted day parole in January.

“We appreciate that this does not right the wrongs endured by the class members,” Cory Ryan, a lawyer for the Stampede, said in court. “The Stampede defendants are deeply sorry for the harms endured by the class members. Stampede acknowledge that we failed class members in accepting responsibility for the harms suffered.”

The Stampede commended the men for coming forward, he said. “We thank them for driving institutional change that will safeguard against anything similar ever happening again.”

The Stampede’s insurers will cover the settlement.

The Calgary Stampede is one of Alberta’s most powerful political and cultural institutions. It resisted the allegations until last July, when it agreed to accept “responsibility for liability” and pay 100 per cent of the damages awarded or assessed. Stampede and the lawsuit’s representative plaintiff reached a tentative agreement in February.

The identities of the men involved in the class-action lawsuit are protected by a court order.

Joel Cowley, Stampede’s chief executive, told reporters his organization’s position on the lawsuit evolved as more information became available. He said there was no doubt the Calgary Stampede would be held liable, but it was unclear to what extent.

However, when a man, identified in court documents as R.S., detailed his experience with Mr. Heerema, the answer crystalized, Mr. Cowley said. R.S., in documents filed in 2022, alleged he told the Grandstand Show’s top executive in 1988 that Mr. Heerema molested him. R.S. said he told the executive that Mr. Heerema should be kept away from children.

“We realized we needed to take full responsibility and full accountability for this situation, in the best interest of the survivors,” Mr. Cowley said outside the courtroom.

“The 1988 complaint was incredibly explicit and should have stopped this – right then.”

R.S.’s allegation was not tested in court.

Mr. Heerema was convicted for acts that took place between 1992 and 2014. Documents in the class-action lawsuit allege the abuse stretched back to 1987 and involved far more boys than the six involved in the court case. The lawsuit includes a 2008 paper trail of Stampede employees and high-ranking officials discussing their concerns related to Mr. Heerema’s inappropriate relationship with some of the Young Canadians.

One member of the class, identified as R.W., addressed the court on Friday. “This time of year reminds me of the deep pain and the harm the Stampede’s decades of inaction caused the community. The Calgary Stampede must recognize the deep, lasting impact of this case on our lives.”

The Calgary Stampede runs July 5-10 this year.

Mr. Cowley said his organization will provide trauma-informed training for people working with youth, as well as host a safety and wellness forum for other organizations that work with children in and around Calgary.