Quebec set to name new head of youth protection system after sex scandal at facility

Quebec’s youth protection department is poised to have a new director as the fallout continues over a bombshell media report that claimed educators had sexual intercourse with detainees at a Montreal detention centre for troubled minors.

Lesley Hill is expected to be officially appointed to the position after Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant asked for the resignation of Catherine Lemay earlier this week. On Monday, the minister said he would appoint an interim replacement quickly.

The development comes following La Presse’s report last week about allegations of sexual misconduct by staff members at Montreal’s Cité-des-Prairies rehabilitation centre. It reported nine female employees allegedly had sexual intercourse with at least five minors and one of the educators had a baby with a teenage detainee.

Both police and the Cité-des-Prairies management are investigating the allegations of sexual misconduct at the facility. The centre houses some of the most troubled young people in the province’s youth protection network, including those convicted of serious crimes.

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Hill helped oversee the Laurent commission into the state of the province’s youth protection services following the 2019 death of a seven-year-old girl in Granby who had been followed by the system.

On Wednesday morning, the opposition parties at Quebec’s national assembly welcomed Hill’s tentative appointment.

— with files from The Canadian Press