Dozens join abuse class-action lawsuit against Calgary school board

CALGARY – Dozens of people have joined a class-action lawsuit against Alberta’s largest school board, alleging abuse at the hands of two former teachers.

David Corrigan, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs, says 50 people have so far joined the lawsuit against the Calgary Board of Education. The deadline to join the class action is Jan. 26.

In November, the school board reached an agreement with complainants who said they were abused by Michael Gregory and Fred Archer, teachers at John Ware School between 1988 and 2004.

The school board also apologized as part of the $15.7-million settlement, which still requires court approval.

Corrigan said 40 people were part of the class action when the settlement was announced. Since then, 10 more have joined.

He said Archer faces sexual abuse allegations from about 12 claimants in the lawsuit. About 25 claimants allege sexual abuse against Gregory, with the remaining accusing him of physical and emotional abuse.

“When our office took the case on, there were 14 people who had come forward,” Corrigan said Friday in an interview. “We knew that there were other people at that time who had expressed reluctance to be involved.” 

He said many who are sexually abused as children feel a sense of shame, and it’s normal for them to take time to be able to talk about their experience. 

“Because of that, everybody’s on a different timeline,” he said.

Gregory, who taught at the junior high school for 20 years, was charged in 2021 with 17 counts of sexual assault and sexual exploitation. A few days later, police said he had died and that his death was not believed to be criminal.

Archer worked at the school in the 1990s and was later convicted of abusing boys at a different school where he worked previously.

He now faces more charges of sexual assault, which were laid last year.

In the statement of claim, three representative plaintiffs alleged the school division failed to act on reports of abuse by Gregory and failed to ensure appropriate policies were in place to prevent abuse and exploitation. 

The settlement also includes an opportunity for victims to collaborate with the division about policies and training. 

Corrigan commended the initial plaintiffs for coming forward to start the case.

“(They) had the courage to push forward with this tough lawsuit,” he said. 

“They showed a lot of gumption, and they’ve done a lot of good.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2026.

— By Daniela Germano in Edmonton