The arrest of a coach and teacher, Bryan Mayer, for various sex crimes sent shock waves through the Lanaudière region. So far, four alleged victims have come forward in Terrebonne, Mascouche and Laval, and police expect to identify more in the coming days.
What there is to know
Bryan Mayer, 52, is a sports coach and high school teacher who has coached “several sports teams” in the Lanaudière region. He taught in particular at the L’Odyssée-des-Jeunes school in Laval.
He was arrested Tuesday by Terrebonne police. Eleven charges have been brought against him, including sexual assault.
The alleged facts would have taken place “between 2006 and the present”, that is, over a period of approximately 17 years.
Four suspected victims have so far reported themselves to the police.
In the world of sports, the announcement of the arrest of Bryan Mayer has had the effect of a bombshell since Tuesday. “It hurt my legs when I learned it. He has always been involved in minor hockey. He coached pee teams when he was very young. He’s a guy we saw very often in the arena, and he also umpired baseball,” says a coach who has worked with him several times in the past.
On Tuesday, 11 counts were filed against Bryan Mayer, including sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual contact, voyeurism and criminal harassment. All of his alleged victims are minors.
“We had strict rules to manage the teams. Nobody could be alone in the dressing room with the youngsters. I never saw any signals and if I had seen any I would of course have asked questions,” adds this source, who prefers to be anonymous for fear of professional reprisals.
The coach recalls Mr Mayer regularly organizing “video sessions” at his home with players for training purposes. At that time, no red flags were raised or reported. In the community of Terrebonne and Lanaudière, “it’s total consternation,” adds the coach.
He was supposed to umpire a baseball game Tuesday night, but the game was canceled because the umpire was arrested. You don’t see that often, let’s say.
A coach who has clashed with Bryan Mayer on several occasions in the past
“I would never have guessed it,” adds a former judge in the Lanaudière region who rubbed shoulders with him in recent years when Mr. Mayer was the head baseball umpire. “He was a warm and friendly person when you meet him […] That’s sad. It’s scary,” said the man, who also remains anonymous for fear of reprisals.
Another source who knew the accused in his youth when he volunteered in minor hockey in the late 1990s states that Mr. Mayer “was very involved and very accessible to certain children whose parents were very busy, especially making elevators”. “If we had even heard of inappropriate behavior, we would have taken action,” this person assures.
Excluded since March 31
At the Laval school service center, the assistant director of the general secretariat, Annie Goyette, confirms that Bryan Mayer was relieved of his duties at the L’Odyssée-des-Jeunes school “as soon as the facts were known, on March 31” , that is, for almost two months ago. “We discovered elements in the investigation that we had to work on further. That is why he was arrested [mardi] ultimately, but that the investigation began some time ago,” said Terrebonne Police Public Affairs Captain Vincent Charbonneau.
The alleged facts would have taken place between 2006 and today, that is, over a period of approximately 17 years.
With all his employment ties, his commitment to school and sports, and the way he operates, it is expected that there will be other victims. He used his position of authority to approach young people and then commit acts of a sexual nature.
Vincent Charbonneau, public affairs captain for the Terrebonne Police Department
He also says Terrebonne police have received “a lot of messages and questions” from parents of students and former students since the announcement of his arrest on Tuesday. Other people are therefore likely to come forward in the coming days. “School service centers have also set up crisis units. We will see what comes out of it, “recalls the captain, who promises that the police force will update the file “as soon as possible”.
“Omerta and impunity must end”
“It’s sad to see that we have to wait for decades before we hear about these stories,” says the co-coordinator of the collective “The youth’s voice counts”, Clorianne Augustin.
For several years, the collective has fought for a framework law to prevent and combat sexual violence in schools, as is already the case in CEGEPs and universities. “All young people have the right to study in a safe and healthy environment. Omerta and impunity must end, she says. We owe that to future generations. »
In the National Assembly on Wednesday, Education Minister Bernard Drainville refused to commit to passing a framework law demanded by opposition parties. “We are all tired of all these stories that multiply. […] A number of initiatives have been launched, we will see how it works. And if we need to add more, we will add more,” he said. However, his office declines to say whether the defendant’s teaching certificate will be revoked at this time.
