According to his mother, the late Doug Ellis never recovered from the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his coach while attending peewee hockey in Westmount, Que.
Ellis died in 2015 at the age of 45 from complications related to the medications he took to treat his psychiatric illness. A decade later, a memorial garden has been created in his honour.
The Douglas Firstbrook Ellis Memorial Garden was inaugurated Friday.
“I hope that anybody who walks by, stops, looks, reads the plaque, gets an understanding about sexual abuse and the repercussions,” said Doug’s mother, Ruth Ellis. “If they are suffering from it themselves, there are places to go in the community for help.”
It’s a place people can sit and reflect, she said.
Doug was among the victims of John Garland, who died in 2012. He worked in the city’s parks and recreation department from 1953 to 1987 and also coached peewee hockey.
According to his obituary, which is still online, “John absolutely loved his job, especially the hockey program.” He is accused of abusing at least 15 children.
Years later, Matthew Bissonnette, a former Westmount resident, was the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against the on-island Montreal suburb.
Westmount has since acknowledged the lasting harm of the abuse and chose settlement over a lengthy legal battle. The $2.5-million out-of-court settlement in 2017 was approved in Quebec Superior Court and offered $100,000 per victim.
From left to right, siblings Tom Coape-Arnold, Ruth Ellis and Douglas Coape-Arnold. Ellis is the mother of the late Doug Ellis. (Natalia Weichsel/CBC)
The lawsuit claimed Westmount officials turned a blind eye to complaints that Garland was sexually abusing young boys.
“Mr. Garland misused his position of power and trust to abuse sexually some of the children and teenagers in his care,” the City of Westmount said in a 2017 statement.
Former mayor Peter Trent also said at the time, “We hope that the settlement can in some small way help with the healing process.”
Construction of the garden began last year at the corner of Ste-Catherine Street and Lansdowne Avenue, near the Westmount Recreation Centre, costing the city about $70,000.
Westmount Mayor Christina Smith said Friday the city is making “an incredibly important step” for the victims and the healing process.
“This is a commitment we made as a city, after the settlement, that we would have a memorial garden, to honour Doug Ellis, to honour his family, but to honour all the victims as well,” she said. “I hope that it brings some peace.”
John Garland, left, died in 2012, three years before the death of his former peewee hockey player Doug Ellis, right. Ellis’s mother blames her son’s lifelong struggles on the sexual abuse he suffered as a preteen at Garland’s hands. (submitted by Tori Riley)
Jean-Marc Lacourcière, the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs in the class action, said the garden honours Doug, but also all survivors while raising awareness for current and future generations.
He said Doug’s suffering is very common in victims of childhood sexual abuse.
“But there’s also a lot of joyful and positive aspects to this memorial,” he said, explaining how the garden resembles centre ice, a bench, skates, glass and other features associated with hockey.
Those features represent solidarity, he explained.
“The solidarity among the victims, but also the solidarity that the whole community hopefully has for the victims and that the community continues to have to stay vigilant and prevent these things from happening again,” Lacourcière said.
The plaque on the memorial garden honours the late Doug Ellis and all who survived abuse. It says the hope is to raise awareness and remind the community to stay vigilant. (Natalia Weichsel/CBC)
After the inauguration, Ruth Ellis told CBC News she appreciated all the people who came out to show their love for her son. She said she believes anonymous survivors were also in attendance.
“There isn’t enough said about abuse,” she said, adding she is “deeply honoured the City of Westmount chose to do this not only for my son, but for all the survivors and all of those who have suffered from abuse.”
Offering a message to survivors of sexual abuse, Ruth Ellis encouraged them not to hold it in and to seek help.
“Dear God, do not hold it in. It’s so destructive,” she said. “Go forward, get help.”
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