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Kaufman Report | |
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Department of Justice | |
Privacy PrivacyNo review of this scope and nature can be accomplished without the input, help and dedication of a devoted group of people. I was fortunate to have such a group.
Duncan R. Beveridge, Q.C., a seasoned and highly-respected Halifax counsel, accepted my invitation to be Senior Counsel to the Review. Duncan and I had worked together before, and I knew that any task entrusted to him would be carried out with skill, delicacy, and total thoroughness, and so it was. Mark J. Sandler, a prominent Toronto barrister, became my Senior Policy Advisor. As was the case with Duncan, this was not the first time that Mark and I had joined forces in a major undertaking, and I knew that he would approach the task ahead with exquisite skill, dedication and his usual enthusiasm. When I first approached him, he was in the final stages of acting as counsel to the Honourable Sydney L. Robins, who chaired a review "to identify and prevent sexual misconduct in Ontario Schools." Mark's experience in that position was of great value to this review, and this is reflected in the Report.
Christopher J. Sherrin, one of Mark's associates, was a tower of strength in the final stages of the review. He worked long and hard on successive drafts and I appreciate his dedication. Andrea Tuck-Jackson, Mark's partner, took time off her heavy schedule to read the final draft and make many helpful suggestions. Her input makes this a better document.
Seetal Sunga, an Ontario lawyer then in Halifax to complete a Master's degree in law at Dalhousie University, acted as Director of Research. She was assisted by Drago Vidovic, also a graduate of the Dalhousie Master of Law program. Their contribution was of great value to me, my counsel and my senior policy advisor. Faizal R. Mirza, then a student-at-law at Osgoode Hall in Toronto, also assisted in assembling and summarizing some of the documentation.
This was a small but highly effective group, and I thank them for their assistance, loyalty and devotion. It was truly a team effort, but the ultimate responsibility is, of course, mine.
To fulfill my mandate, my staff or I met with over 100 individuals. These included persons involved in the design and implementation of the Government's response, Ministers and Deputy Ministers, internal investigators and their staff, police officers, therapists, Dr. Elsie Blake of the Family Services Association, file assessors, administrators, former Chief Justice Stratton and Ms. Viki Samuels-Stewart. Written feedback was also received from a number of file reviewers. I am indebted to them all for their cooperation throughout.
Voluminous documentation had to be obtained, particularly from the Government. Nova Scotia officials were forthcoming and helpful, and no request for information - and there were many - went unanswered. I am also grateful for the information provided to this review by officials in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Ontario, British Columbia, and with the Federal Government and Law Commission of Canada.
I wish to especially acknowledge the former and current employees, as well as former residents of the youth facilities, with whom I met. I know that many found it painful to discuss the intimate details of their lives with me and my staff, and I am particularly grateful to them for having agreed to do so. Their contribution was extremely important to the content of this Report.
A number of counsel met with me or my staff and prepared written submissions for my assistance on behalf of the former residents, former and current employees, the Nova Scotia Government Employees Union and the Department of Justice. They were unfailingly courteous and of assistance to me in my task.
Last, but by no means least, I thank my wife Donna, whose love, encouragement and understanding give me much comfort and strength.