Nova Scotia swimming instructor charged in abuse case involving more than 300 youths

Canadian authorities announced charges against Donald Douglas Williams, a 75-year-old swimming instructor at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre, alleging a pattern of abuse spanning nearly three decades. RCMP say Williams assaulted or sexually exploited more than 300 youths aged 12 to 18 over 26 years, from 1989 to 2015, while he worked at the correctional facility for minors.

He is charged with a total of 66 counts, including 32 counts of sexual exploitation, 28 counts of sexual assault, three counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, one count of sexual interference, one count of invitation to sexual touching and one count of assault. All known victims were male except for one girl. Williams was arrested at his home on Sept. 13 and released on conditions; he is due to appear in Kentville provincial court on Sept. 26. The investigation into Williams' conduct dates back to 2018 and was formally established as Operation Headwind in 2021.

During a news briefing, Staff Sergeant Rob McCamon, the acting officer in charge of Major Crime and Behavioral Sciences, described the emotional toll of the case. "This instructor held a position of authority, and the young people he victimized should have been able to trust him and feel safe with him," he said. The sergeant became visibly emotional while discussing the charges, noting that the investigation had been difficult to conduct given the case's scale. "Any time you’re dealing with something of this magnitude, there’s a lot of emotion attached to that. And whenever you speak to survivors, or even witnesses of crime, you have to deal with that emotion, so it becomes very heavy. I expect this file was very difficult on our investigators."

Authorities say Williams' conduct was alleged to have occurred while he worked at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre, a correctional facility for minors, and that the investigation began after reports surfaced in 2018. By 2022, Operation Headwind had 14 units dedicated to the probe, with investigators interviewing more than 450 survivors and witnesses, reviewing more than 9,800 documents seized during searches and completing more than 1,200 investigation-related tasks.

Police say additional survivors may come forward as the investigation continues. "If you, or someone you know, experienced sexual assault while at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre, it’s not too late to report what happened," McCamon said. Investigators are asking anyone with information to call the confidential Operation Headwind tipline at 902-720-5313 or toll-free at 1-833-314-3475. The line is monitored Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a confidential voicemail is available outside those hours.