Dear Members,
The Ottawa Lions Board of Directors acknowledges the recent statement by the Edmonton Police Service (included below) regarding the arrest of and charges against Ken Porter.
Our Club and Board are committed to encouraging a supportive sport environment and respectful workplace that is free of all forms of harassment, abuse and sexual misconduct.
We understand that this has been and continues to be very difficult for some of our members and alumni. A list of local mental health resources has been added to our website. We will continue to work collaboratively with key partners to support a safe sport environment.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Dumoulin
President
Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club
Former Edmonton track coach charged with historical sex offences
The Edmonton Police Service has arrested and charged a 72-year-old Ottawa man in connection to several alleged historical sex offences involving teen athletes in the mid-1970s and early 1980s.
It is alleged that between 1976 and 1980, Kenneth Thomas Porter, 72, who was a coach with the Edmonton Olympic Track and Field Club, sexually assaulted five underage teen males, while under his supervision.
The incidents are alleged to have occurred during track meets held in Calgary and Edmonton, during that time period. Edmonton Police Service Sexual Assault investigators formally launched an investigation into the allegations surrounding Porter in April 2019.
Kenneth Thomas Porter, 72, of Ottawa, arrived in Edmonton yesterday, and was charged at EPS Headquarters with indecent assault on a male (x5) and gross indecency (x5), charges as laid out in the Criminal Code, at that time.
Porter has since been released on a promise to appear. He is next scheduled to appear in an Edmonton court on Dec. 7, 2020.