Dartmouth, N.S. – A former swim instructor at the Nova Scotia Youth Facility in Springhill is facing 66 sex-related charges following a seven-year RCMP investigation. david Williams, 63, was arrested Tuesday and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and sexual interference, stemming from alleged incidents that occurred at the youth corrections center.
The RCMP investigation, dubbed Operation Headwind, began in 2018 and initially focused on at least 70 cases of alleged sexual assault at the facility, located approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Halifax. Investigators established a confidential tip line in July 2023 to encourage survivors and witnesses to come forward.
“I feel we were able to allow survivors to feel safe to contact us,” said Staff Sgt. Rob McCamon, the officer in charge of Major Crime and Behavioural sciences with the Nova Scotia RCMP, during a news conference Wednesday.”I expect and hope that if there are othre survivors out there that they do come forward.”
The investigation involved interviews with approximately 450 survivors and witnesses, and a review of over 9,800 documents. Some individuals who made allegations ultimately chose not to proceed with their cases.
“When you’re dealing with past sexual assaults,there’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” McCamon explained. “In an institutional setting like this, there was a lot of written documentation.it takes a lot of time to review that data, not to mention the amount of people who needed to be spoken to.”
McCamon acknowledged challenges in gaining the trust of some survivors, notably those currently incarcerated. “There was difficulty with that at certain points,” he said. “But once the understanding was there that we were there to listen to what they had to say, it opened those doorways for us. We put a lot of effort into lowering the barriers.”
Williams has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Kentville, N.S., on September 26.
The Nova Scotia Youth Facility, which opened in 1988, houses male and female youths serving open or secure custody sentences, and also young people awaiting court appearances. The centre is comprised of five cottages, each containing two 12-bed units. McCamon encouraged anyone with information related to the case to contact the RCMP.
