Canadian diocese sued by alleged victim of clergy sexual abuse for negligence

A Winnipeg man has filed a lawsuit against the Anglican Church of Canada, seeking damages from the Diocese of Brandon, alleging he was molested by a priest of the diocese over 40 years ago. In a statement of claim filed in the Brandon Court of Queen’s Bench, the unnamed claimant stated in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he was a child aged less than ten years old he was molested by a now deceased clergyman serving at a church in The Pas, Manitoba. According to the CBC the complaint states the defendant diocese “placed [the priest] in a position of authority over youths and children, including the Plaintiff, attending church ministry.” The plaintiff states he is currently unemployed and suffering from depression and anxiety and to cope with the abuse had turned to drugs and alcohol to dull the emotional pain he felt. The Bishop of Brandon, the Rt. Rev . William Cliff stated the diocese had not yet been served with the complaint, and could not comment on the specific allegations. However, he told the CBC the priest named in the claim had, to the best of his knowledge, died.