Nova Scotia man accused of sexually assaulting youths appears in provincial court
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KENTVILLE – A Nova Scotia man accused of dozens of sex crimes against 30 young people at a youth detention centre has made his first appearance in court.
Donald Douglas Williams, a 75-year-old former swim instructor, told a provincial court in Kentville, N.S., that he needed more time to find a legal aid lawyer.
Crown prosecutor Rob Kennedy confirmed Williams is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 21.
Last week, the RCMP announced that the accused from Dartmouth, N.S., was facing 66 charges.
All of the charges related to his work at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre in Waterville, N.S., between 1989 and 2015.
The charges include three counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, 28 charges of sexual assault, 32 charges of sexual exploitation, and single charges of sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and assault.
The Mounties say the complainants were between the ages of 12 and 18 when they were being held at the centre.
All of the complainants are now adults.
Twenty-nine of them are men and one is a woman.
On Friday, RCMP Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon told a news conference that investigators believe Williams may have assaulted as many as 300 youths during the 29 years he worked at the centre.
Williams was arrested at his home on Sept. 13 and later released from custody.
He worked as a swim instructor at the centre about 100 kilometres north of Halifax between 1988 and 2017. The RCMP investigation — known as Operation Headwind — started in 2018.
The RCMP are encouraging anyone with allegations or information about what happened at the centre to come forward. Investigators say they expect to lay more charges against Williams.
In July 2023, the Mounties confirmed they were investigating at least 70 cases of alleged sexual assault at the centre. At that time, they established a confidential tip line in a bid to get survivors and witnesses to come forward.
The Mounties say investigators were sent across Canada to interview 450 people, and they reviewed more than 9,800 documents.
Many of those who came forward chose not to proceed with their cases, McCamon said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.