John Aimers

John Lathrop Aimers (born in Dublin, Ireland in 1951) is co-founder and former long-time Dominion Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada. He is an educator by profession and was from 1998 until 2006 a debating coach and part-time teacher of English at Toronto French School.

Education

Aimers is a graduate of Selwyn House School and Lower Canada College and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Sir George Williams University in 1972. He earned a diploma in education from McGill University in 1974.cite web
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title =Canadian Who's Who
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publisher =U of T Press
date =1997
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In addition to his position at Toronto French School, Aimers taught at St. John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg (1980-1983) and Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario (1983-1991). In the U.S., he taught at the Allen-Stevenson School in Manhattan (1992-1993) and the Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut (1993-1994).

Founding the Monarchist League

Aimers had been an activist in the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's youth wing and became personally close to former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, serving as his administrative assistant from 1969 to 1970. The two shared a conviction that the government of Pierre Trudeau was undermining the status of the monarchy in Canada. In 1970 Aimers and others founded the Monarchist League of Canada in an attempt to galvanize monarchists and shore up support for the institution. [Citation
last =Mulgrew
first =Ian
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last2 =
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title =Monarchists see crown of office as election goal
newspaper =The Globe and Mail
pages =page P5
year =1984
date =2 August
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Aimers served as its Dominion Chairman from 1970 to 1972 when he left to take a job on Parliament Hill. He resumed his duties as Dominion Chairman in 1975, and led the League until 2006. [ [http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/chronology.html Monarchist League's Chronology ] ]

Other activities

An active member of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Prayer Book Society of Canada, Aimers spoke regularly at services and was long the newsletter editor at St. Thomas Anglican Church, an Anglo-Catholic parish in Toronto, until he resigned in 2006. [Citation
last =Andrews
first =Mark W.
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =The Rector's Report: New editors, new look
newspaper =Thurible, St. Thomas Anglican Church newsletter
pages =page 3
year =2006
date =Eastertide
url = http://stthomas.on.ca/bfiles/thurible0601web.pdf] He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.

Politically, following his service to Diefenbaker, Aimers worked as administrative assistant to Progressive Conservative Members of Parliament Robert Coates in 1972 and Stanley Schumacher in 1973. He served as national president of the Progressive Conservative Youth Federation in 1977. Aimers resigned from the Progressive Conservative Party in 1978, joining the Liberals, to protest what he called "the shafting of Stan Schumacher" by the party. Schumacher, a 10-year veteran Member of Parliament lost his bid for renomination after he refused to give up his Bow River riding in favour of Tory leader Joe Clark who was losing his own riding due to redistribution. Aimers accused the party's national executive of directing a campaign against Schumacher's renomination bid in order to punish him. [Citation
last =Canadian Press
first =
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last2 =
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title =Ex-head of PC youth unit quits the party and will join Liberals
newspaper =The Globe and Mail
pages =page A9
year =1978
date =27 January
url = ] Aimers subsequently served as special assistant to Liberal MP Donald Johnston from 1979 to 1980.

Aimers has run for public office once, as an independent candidate in the 1973 Quebec provincial election, but was unsuccessful.

Allegations of sexual abuse

On February 3 2006, a former student of Montreal's Selwyn House School, identified only by the initials "D.J.," filed a class action lawsuit, claiming to have been sexually abused in the 1970s. The plaintiff is acting through McPhadden Samac Merner Barry, a law firm that has brought similar class action suits against two private schools in Ontario, the first being against Upper Canada College. [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=01ffb1f2-a8f1-4079-b7dc-7663b2f1b86f&k=51901 Lampert, Allison; Stastna, Kazi; "The Gazette": Selwyn abuse allegations grow; February 4, 2006] ]

Selwyn House, John Aimers, and another former teacher, James Hill, are all named as defendants in the suit, through which the student is claiming $19 million in damages. Aimers taught at the school from 1974 to 1978. It was reported in the media that in 1997 the plaintiff filed a report with the Montreal police but the department deemed there was insufficient evidence to launch an investigation. ref|CTV No criminal charges have been brought against Aimers then or since.

The petition, filed February 3 2006, contains allegations that have not been tested in court and a judge has not yet given permission for the legal action to proceed. Nor has the class action status of the suit been certified.ref|star1

The plaintiff's statement of claim alleges that boys were regularly invited into Aimers' apartment where he offered them drugs and alcohol. The plaintiff claims that in 1977, when he was 13, Aimers invited him to his apartment on the pretext of helping him with homework.ref|globe1 Once there, the statement of claim alleges that after giving him drugs "Aimers kissed D.J. and forced his tongue into D.J.'s mouth and put his penis in D.J.'s mouth".ref|post1 The statement claims that the school failed to protect its students from Aimers.

Jean Brugniau, headmaster of the Toronto French School from 1995-2008, stated that neither he nor his staff had complaints from any student or parent regarding the conduct of Aimers. Brugniau issued a letter to parents on February 4 2006 informing them that Aimers was being relieved of his duties as a result of the civil action. The letter also encouraged current and former students "to share any specific concerns arising from their own experience." [cite web
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title =Letter to Parents
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publisher = Toronto French School
date =February 4, 2006
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On February 4 2006, Aimers issued the following statement announcing that he would be stepping aside from public activities on behalf of the Monarchist League for the time being:

:"The cause of the Monarchy and the work of the Monarchist League of Canada is far more important than any one person. In the current circumstances, I will not be speaking on the League's behalf until this matter is resolved; and I have consulted with its Officers to arrange for its day-to-day functioning. I am sorry that this distracts from the devoted efforts of the League's members and friends across Canada." [cite web
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title =Monarchist League Message Board
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date =February 4, 2006
url =http://web.archive.org/web/20060207031737/http://members.boardhost.com/monarchist/msg/1139076354.top
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accessdate =2006-02-07 ]

On February 6 2006, Aimers issued a further statement::"A proper forum and time will be chosen to respond to the allegations that have been made. The League is in the process of making arrangements for interim leadership. In the meantime, on advice of counsel, I will have no further statement to make." [cite web
last =
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date =February 5, 2006
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As a result of the allegations, Aimers was suspended with pay from his teaching position with Toronto French School. The school issued a statement saying: ""No TFS student has ever complained to the school of improper conduct involving Mr. Aimers ... The school has taken this difficult decision given the serious nature of these allegations." [ [http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=e4592d56-586f-4887-80d9-60ea508af370&k=88673 "English prof named in Selwyn House lawsuit suspended with pay"] , "The Montreal Gazette", February 8, 2006.]

On February 19 2008, Selwyn House announced that it had drafted an apology that may include giving up to $5 million to former students who allege they were victims of sexual abuse.

Following the school's statement that expressed its "apologies and regrets" to former students for any "sexual abuse during their time at the school," a lawyer for the plaintiffs said those words were the closest the school had come in acknowledging that claims of abuse may be true. [ [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080219/selwyn_house_080219/20080219/ CTV News 19 Feb 2008 Mtl. private school to apologize for alleged abuse] ]

Although Aimers signed the apology, he acknowledged no wrong-doing.

Despite the settlement announcement, a class action is being readied for certification, which, lawyers said, could consist of up to 40 more former students. [ [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080220.SELWYN20/TPStory/National The Globe and mail 20 Feb 2008 School offers money to former students claiming abuse] ]

On February 23, 2007, Robert Finch officially succeeded Aimers as Dominion Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada [ [http://www.monarchist.ca/new/docs/chronology.html A Chronology of Events & Activities reflecting the work of the Monarchist League of Canada] ] .

Notes

External links

* [http://www.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=ahiakpor&t=8537&d=1764 Canadian Who's Who] profile of Aimers
* [http://www.thecommentary.ca/ontheline/20050315a.html Audio interview with THECOMMENTARY.CA: Tuesday, 15 March 2005]
* [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060203/selwyn_house_060203/20060203/ CTV: Quebec boys' school hit with legal bombshell]
* [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1139007014108&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News "Toronto Star: Lawsuit claims teacher sexually abused student"]
* [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060204.wxselwyn0204/BNStory/National/ "Globe and Mail: Sex-abuse claims hit elite school"]
* [http://www.canada.com/cityguides/toronto/story.html?id=a321d67a-9871-400c-97bb-04131049bc38&k=2902 "National Post: Sex suit names Monarchist League chief"]
* [http://www.msmb.ca "McPhadden, Samac, Merner, Barry Barristers and Solicitors"]