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CORNWALL PUBLIC INQUIRY - SUMMARY

Cornwall Standard Freeholder, posted 16 December 2009, News Briefs

WHAT THE REPORT SAID

The following are excerpts from the executive summary of the Cornwall Public Inquiry's final report.

ON THE CLAIMS OF A PEDOPHILE RING

"Throughout this inquiry, I heard evidence that suggested that there were cases of joint abuse, passing of alleged victims, and possibly passive knowledge of abuse. I am not making a pronouncement on whether a ring existed or not; it is not within my mandate to say what would have come from this information had it been explored more fully."

ON FORMER JUDGE AND MPP GARRY GUZZO

"His interactions with the media, other politicians, and the OPP were at times careless, even reckless. His criticisms of the Project Truth investigation were sometimes based on incomplete or inaccurate information and had a profound impact on the investigation's effectiveness."

ON PROJECTTRUTH.COM WEBSITE

"The site made information and misinformation widely available to the public, and in the relatively small community of Cornwall it was a significant source of gossip and innuendo. This type of citizen journalism had even more impact because the public was less knowledgeable about and familiar with websites than it is today."

ON RON LEROUX

"The Project Truth investigation eventually revealed that few of Mr. Leroux's claims were well founded and most were greatly exaggerated or simply untrue. Many elements of Mr. Leroux's statement became the basis for rumours within the media and the Cornwall community. It is significant to note that Mr. Leroux testified that a number of things he said in his various statements were false."

ON PROJECT TRUTH INVESTIGATION

"From the outset of Project Truth, the media reported that the OPP was investigating a pedophile ring, even though there was no mention of a ring in the initial documentation provided to the media by the OPP. The OPP did not take proactive steps at the outset to explain the nature of the allegations and the scope of its investigation."

Article ID# 2223220