John Aimers

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John Lathrop Aimers (born in Dublin, Ireland in 1951) is co-founder and long-time Dominion Chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada. He is an educator by profession and has been a debating coach and part-time teacher of English at Toronto French School since 1998.

1 Education
2 Founding the Monarchist League
3 Other activities
4 Allegations of sexual abuse
5 Notes
6 Older footnotes
7 External links

[edit] Education

Aimers is a graduate of Selwyn House School and Lower Canada College and earned his Bachelor of Arts from Sir George Williams University in 1972. He earned a diploma in education from McGill University in 1974.

In addition to his position at Toronto French School, Aimers has taught at St. John's-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg (1980-1983) and Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario (1983-1991). In the U.S., he taught at the Allen-Stevenson School in Manhattan (1992-1993) and the Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut (1993-1994).

[edit] Founding the Monarchist League

Aimers had been an activist in the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's youth wing and became personally close to former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, serving as his administrative assistant from 1969 to 1970. The two shared a conviction that the government of Pierre Trudeau was undermining the status of the monarchy in Canada. The League was founded by Aimers, Gary Toffoli and others, with the support of Diefenbaker, in an attempt to galvanize monarchists and shore up support for the institution.

Aimers helped found the Monarchist League in 1970 as a youth, and served as its Dominion Chairman from 1970 to 1972 when he left to take a job on Parliament Hill. He resumed his duties as Dominion Chairman in 1975, and led the League until 2006. Although he remains officially Dominion Chairman, leadership was delegated by the Monarchist League's Board of Directors to Robert Finch as Interim Chief Operating Officer.

[edit] Other activities

An active member of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Prayer Book Society of Canada, Aimers speaks regularly at services and was long the newsletter editor at St. Thomas Anglican Church, an Anglo-Catholic parish in Toronto. He is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.

Politically, following his service to Diefenbaker, Aimers worked as administrative assistant to Progressive Conservative Members of Parliament Robert Coates in 1972 and Stanley Schumacher in 1973. He served as national president of the Progressive Conservative Youth Federation in 1977. He also served as special assistant to Liberal MP Donald Johnston from 1979 to 1980. Aimers has run for public office once, as an independent candidate in the 1973 Quebec provincial election, but was unsuccessful.

[edit] Allegations of sexual abuse

On February 3, 2006, a former student of Montreal's Selwyn House School, identified only by the initials "D.J.," filed a class action lawsuit, claiming to have been sexually abused in the 1970s. The plantiff is acting through McPhadden Samac Merner Barry, a law firm that has brought similar class action suits against two private schools in Ontario, the first being against Upper Canada College.^[1]

Selwyn House, John Aimers, and another former teacher, James Hill, are all named as defendants in the suit, through which the student is claiming $19 million in damages. Aimers taught at the school from 1974 to 1978.^[1] It was reported in the media that in 1997 the plaintiff filed a report with the Montreal police but the department deemed there was insufficient evidence to launch an investigation. ^[1] No criminal charges have been brought against Aimers then or since.

The petition, filed February 3, 2006, contains allegations that have not been tested in court and a judge has not yet given permission for the legal action to proceed. Nor has the class action status of the suit been certified.^[2] A statement of defence has not yet been filed.

The plaintiff's statement of claim alleges that boys were regularly invited into Aimers' apartment where he offered them drugs and alcohol. The plaintiff claims that in 1977, when he was 13, Aimers invited him to his apartment on the pretext of helping him with homework.^[3] Once there, the statement of claim alleges that after giving him drugs "Aimers kissed D.J. and forced his tongue into D.J.'s mouth and put his penis in D.J.'s mouth".^[4] The statement claims that the school failed to protect its students from Aimers.

Jean Brugniau, headmaster of the Toronto French School stated that neither he nor his staff have had complaints from any student or parent regarding the conduct of Aimers. Brugniau issued a letter to parents on February 4, 2006 informing them that Aimers was being relieved of his duties as a result of the civil action. The letter also encouraged current and former students "to share any specific concerns arising from their own experience." ^{[citation needed]}

On February 4, 2006, Aimers issued the following statement announcing that he would be stepping aside from public activities on behalf of the Monarchist League for the time being:

"The cause of the Monarchy and the work of the Monarchist League of Canada is far more important than any one person. In the current circumstances, I will not be speaking on the League's behalf until this matter is resolved; and I have consulted with its Officers to arrange for its day-to-day functioning. I am sorry that this distracts from the devoted efforts of the League's members and friends across Canada." ^[5]

On February 6, 2006, Aimers issued a further statement:

"A proper forum and time will be chosen to respond to the allegations that have been made. The League is in the process of making arrangements for interim leadership. In the meantime, on advice of counsel, I will have no further statement to make." ^[6]

As a result of the allegations, Aimers has been suspended with pay from his teaching position with Toronto French School. The school issued a statement saying: ""No TFS student has ever complained to the school of improper conduct involving Mr. Aimers ... The school has taken this difficult decision given the serious nature of these allegations." ^[2]

Superior Court Justice Pierre Gagnon ruled on May 23, 2006, that the plaintiffs and defendants could be questioned, but ruled that it was inappropriate at the time to question the plaintiffs regarding their physical or mental state.^[3]