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An investigation is ongoing at an east end detention center for underage offenders where at least nine instructors allegedly engaged in sexual misconduct with inmates, including at least one full-on sexual act.

Two managers have been suspended and the instructors involved have either been suspended or fired as part of an ongoing investigation into events at the Cité-des-Prairies center in Rivière-des-Prairies, according to the health authority that oversees the centre.

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The alleged abuse first emerged on Thursday. La Presse And Le DevoirIt reported that at least nine instructors had sexual intercourse with at least five inmates in the past two years and that at least one of the instructors bore a child to an underage inmate.

The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal did not confirm these details pending the results of the investigation; Beyond that, it said it was notified of nine educators potentially engaging in misconduct, including at least one reported case. Examples of sexual intercourse and sexual exchange on social media.

The health authority declined a request to speak to its director of youth protection on Friday but said in an email that an independent investigation had been launched by an external firm after becoming aware of allegations of sexual abuse involving a prisoner.

“This report allowed us to discover other factors that prompted our organization to launch an investigation,” the health official said. “This type of situation is unacceptable and we take these allegations very seriously. … Our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of young people.”

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CIUSSS said the two managers had been temporarily suspended from their positions “because their teams were directly affected” during the investigation.

“We took immediate action to protect young people affected by these situations,” CIUSSS said. “We have put in place support measures for the alleged victims and their families.”

Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant called the contents of the La Presse report “more than disturbing” in a post on

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“We will never tolerate such situations,” Carmant wrote. “Exploiting vulnerable young people is a criminal act and is subject to prosecution and conviction. “Everything will be done to protect and ensure the safety of the young people under our responsibility.”

Montreal police would not confirm whether an investigation had been launched, citing privacy reasons.

Liberal MNA Brigitte Garceau, a critic of youth protection, issued a statement Friday morning calling on Carmant to launch a province-wide investigation into all youth and rehabilitation centers in Quebec.

“Scandalous stories continue to accumulate within the Youth Protection Directorate’s network, and the minister has been responsible for them for six years,” Garceau said. “Is he aware of what’s going on on his network?”

Garceau added that he was disgusted by the situation in Cité-des-Prairies.

“This story makes my blood run cold,” he said. “If we think that our young people are no longer safe in these rehabilitation centers, where should we send them?”

Cité-des-Prairies houses mostly criminals under the age of 18 who commit major crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, firearms offenses and pimping. According to the CIUSSS, this is the most complex center for such cases in Montreal.

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The Association des éducatrices et éducateurs spécialisés du Québec, a group that represents the types of educators who work in such centres, said in a statement Friday that the “unacceptable” situation in Cité-des-Prairies is an example of why the profession should be regulated by a professional. order.

Spokesperson Sylvain Ratel said this was something the association had been demanding for a decade.

“Today we are seeing all kinds of consequences of not having an order,” he said.

Ratel explained that one of the problems is that employers may hire people with degrees other than those related to specialized training who are not qualified for the job.

This is particularly problematic as the profession involves working with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“There is a shortage of nurses, but we do not hire people who are not nurses,” Ratel said. “There is a shortage of dental hygienists, but we do not do that either. From where? Because they are regulated and legally structured, so nothing like this happens.”

He noted that employees under investigation in Cité-des-Prairies would likely lose their right to work if they were part of an order. While they may lose their current jobs, their human resources files are confidential, so “there is nothing stopping them from finding other jobs, and future employers won’t know what happened,” Ratel said. This means that abuse can continue elsewhere.

CIUSSS said it expects to receive the findings of the investigation later this fall.

“In the meantime, we are being proactive in identifying preventative measures and improving our practices so that such situations are promptly reported and addressed,” he said.

Those wishing to provide information may do so confidentially at 514-896-3100.

[email protected]

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