Former N.W.T. priest charged with historical indecent assault in Fort Simpson

An 85-year-old former N.W.T. priest has been charged with indecent assault dating back 40 years — and he's been summoned to a territorial court on Wednesday. 

Camille Piché of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is charged with indecent assault against one alleged victim between January 1, 1981 and December 31, 1982 in Fort Simpson, N.W.T., court records show. The charge was filed on December 21, 2022. 

Piché has been removed from public ministry and placed on "active monitoring" according to Father Ken Thorson, the head of OMI Lacombe, the Oblate order headquartered in Ottawa. In an email to CBC News, Thorsen said the Oblates took this action immediately after learning of the allegations but did not say when that was. 

"Any act of clergy sexual abuse is a tragedy, and we apologize to anyone who has had their trust betrayed and inherent dignity offended by an Oblate," Thorson wrote. "The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate have and will continue to cooperate fully with authorities with regard to any allegation of sexual misconduct or abuse." 

Piché was active as a priest in the N.W.T. during the 1970s, '80s and '90s, and photos in the N.W.T. Archives show he spent time in a number of communities in the South Slave, the Sahtu, Dettah and Yellowknife. He was also a priest in Fort Simpson when Pope Jean Paul II visited the community in 1987.

Court documents state that Piché now lives in Winnipeg. Thorson said he is in an independent living centre that is not owned or run by the Oblates.

"We maintain regular contact with the facility to monitor and provide any support necessary to reduce the likeliness of repeat offences," Thorson wrote. 

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are a Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers. The Mackenzie-Fort Smith Roman Catholic Diocese told CBC News that Bishop Jon Hansen was not available for an interview because he was preaching at a week-long retreat outside the territory.