The arrest of a trainer 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 notably taught at L’Odyssée-des-Jeunes school in Laval.
He was arrested Tuesday by Terrebonne police. Eleven counts have been filed against him, including sexual assault.
The alleged facts would have occurred “between 2006 and today”, that is to say over a period of approximately 17 years.
Four alleged victims have so far come forward to police.
In the world of sport, the announcement of the arrest of Bryan Mayer has had the effect of a bomb since Tuesday. “It sawed my legs when I learned that. He has always been involved in minor hockey. He coached pee-wee teams when he was very young. He’s a guy we saw very often at the arena, and he also refereed baseball, ”says a coach who worked with him several times in the past.
On Tuesday, 11 counts were brought against Bryan Mayer, including sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, voyeurism and criminal harassment. All of his alleged victims are minors.
“We had strict rules to lead the teams. No one could be alone in the locker room with the youngsters. I have never seen any signals, and if I had seen any, obviously I would have asked questions, ”adds this source, who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of professional reprisals.
The coach remembers that Mr. Mayer regularly organized “video sessions” at his home, with players, with a view to training. At the time, no red flags had been raised or reported. In the community of Terrebonne and Lanaudière, “it’s total consternation,” adds the coach.
He was supposed to referee a baseball game on Tuesday night, but the game was called off because the umpire was arrested. You don’t see that often, let’s say.
A coach who has rubbed shoulders with Bryan Mayer on several occasions in the past
“I would never have guessed it,” adds a former umpire in the Lanaudière region who rubbed shoulders with him in recent years when Mr. Mayer was chief baseball umpire. “He was a warm, friendly person when you meet him […] It’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 was a volunteer in minor hockey in the late 1990s, indicates that Mr. Mayer “was very involved and very available to certain children whose parents were very occupied, in particular to do lifts”. “If we had heard of inappropriate behavior at all, we would have acted”, assures this person.
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 L’Odyssée-des-Jeunes school “as soon as the facts were known, on March 31” , so almost two months ago. “We discovered elements of the investigation on which we had to continue working. That’s the reason he was arrested [mardi] ultimately, but that the investigation began some time ago, ”says the captain of public affairs for the Terrebonne police, Vincent Charbonneau.
The alleged facts would have occurred between 2006 and today, that is to say over a period of approximately 17 years.
With all his employment ties, his involvement in school and sports and his way of operating, 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 of the Terrebonne police
He also says that the Terrebonne police have received “a lot of messages and questions” from parents of students and former students since the publication of his arrest on Tuesday. Other people could therefore likely come forward in the coming days. “School service centers have also set up crisis units. We will see what will come 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 is sad to see that we have to wait for decades to pass before we hear about these stories,” says the co-coordinator of the collective “The voice of young people counts”, Clorianne Augustin.
The collective has been campaigning for several years 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 it to future generations. »
In the National Assembly on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Bernard Drainville, refused to commit to adopting a framework law, as demanded by the opposition parties. “We are all sick of all these stories that are multiplying. […] A number of measures have been put in place, we will see how it works. And if we need to add more, we will add more,” he said. His office, however, refuses to say whether the accused’s teaching certificate will be revoked at this stage.