up by a designated social worker acting as a
delegate to the director of youth protection
services (DPJ). The general aim of the voluntary
measures that were agreed upon by most of the
BCW parents was to help them modify their
disciplinary approaches, learn better parenting
skills, and succeed in reintegrating their children
into mainline society. In the case of some of the
children, psychological services were also
recomended because the children presented
important problems with adaptation,
developmental difficulties, or both that were
deemed unlikely to be corrected through the
social and family measures being taken.
Although the OSGE had closed its file in 1985
in the belief that the BCW’s day-care facility
had ceased its operation, the facility was in fact
still open. Upon learning this, OSGE inspectors
were faced with the responsibility of taking
action, considering the disciplinary practices the
center favored and the lack of training of its
personnel. The OSGE proceded to close the day
care center officially in January 1986 under
Section 3 of the Child Day Care Act. In light of
the previous refusal of the child-care facility to
cooperate, and in anticipation of difficulties in
closing the center, the OSGE had asked
assistance from the Windsor municipal police
and from the provincial police, known as the
Sûreté du Québec. The DPJE also sent social
workers to take care of the infants and toddlers
in case some parents might not be reached.
However, the operation went smoothly as
parents picked up their children without
protesting the OSGE intervention, and the day-
care staff left the building without protest.
As noted, many BCW members were greatly
affected by the perception of themselves
reflected through the negatively tinted media
coverage (Bouchard, 2001 Leblanc, 2001). This
impact resulted in a number of departures from
the church, and many more left the group
following the DPJE’s intervention. The second
intervention of the OSGE at the church’s day-
care facility also seems to have had a
determining effect on many of the remaining
members who left after this last intervention.
The presence of a police contingent
accompanying the inspectors, since it constituted
a show of force at a point of the trajectory of the
BCW when few members were left, and at a
time when their pastor had all but abandoned
them, seems to have constitued a major blow to
the church. By the time of that latter
intervention, the BCW leader had indeed
distanced himself from his church, having
moved to a farm in another region, from where
he sought to manage his congregation. His move
was perceived as an abandonment by the
followers who were still loyal to him and who
felt strongly that they needed their pastor more
than ever in these times of turmoil. Whereas it
can be argued that the interventions of the social
agents described in the preceding pages
considerably reduced the pastor’s authority over
his followers, it can conversely be suggested that
his moving from Windsor and leaving his
followers to their own devices had the effect of
facilitating the social agents’ interventions, if
only by loosening his hold over the followers.
Pastor X, having left Windsor for good, put the
Church property, which was in his name, up for
sale. Members left the BCW all throughout 1986
and, by the end of that year, only a few
followers were left.
Aftermath
After having examined the evidence gathered by
the police and by the DPJE, the province’s
Attorney General granted immunity from
criminal prosecution to all the members of the
BCW. Criminal charges of assault concerning
six BCW children7 were, however, issued
against Pastor X, who additionally faced a
number of civil suits contesting his ownership of
church property. In March 1990, he was
sentenced to 90 days in prison for the assault
charges and 2 years’ probation, during which he
was prohibited from occupying any position in a
religious congregation. The civil charges were
resolved in various fashions, with the pastor
reimbursing former members at the end. In a
case concerning one teen who was a victim of
physical and sexual abuse, and whose parents
had not accepted the voluntary measures
7 The arrest warrant for Pastor X, issued on October 8, 1987,
contained eight charges under Section 245 of the Criminal Code,
RSC 1985, c C-14, (Canada, 1987, p. 224). At the time, this section
dealt with assault leaving bodily injury. Convictions were
punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
92 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 6, 2015
delegate to the director of youth protection
services (DPJ). The general aim of the voluntary
measures that were agreed upon by most of the
BCW parents was to help them modify their
disciplinary approaches, learn better parenting
skills, and succeed in reintegrating their children
into mainline society. In the case of some of the
children, psychological services were also
recomended because the children presented
important problems with adaptation,
developmental difficulties, or both that were
deemed unlikely to be corrected through the
social and family measures being taken.
Although the OSGE had closed its file in 1985
in the belief that the BCW’s day-care facility
had ceased its operation, the facility was in fact
still open. Upon learning this, OSGE inspectors
were faced with the responsibility of taking
action, considering the disciplinary practices the
center favored and the lack of training of its
personnel. The OSGE proceded to close the day
care center officially in January 1986 under
Section 3 of the Child Day Care Act. In light of
the previous refusal of the child-care facility to
cooperate, and in anticipation of difficulties in
closing the center, the OSGE had asked
assistance from the Windsor municipal police
and from the provincial police, known as the
Sûreté du Québec. The DPJE also sent social
workers to take care of the infants and toddlers
in case some parents might not be reached.
However, the operation went smoothly as
parents picked up their children without
protesting the OSGE intervention, and the day-
care staff left the building without protest.
As noted, many BCW members were greatly
affected by the perception of themselves
reflected through the negatively tinted media
coverage (Bouchard, 2001 Leblanc, 2001). This
impact resulted in a number of departures from
the church, and many more left the group
following the DPJE’s intervention. The second
intervention of the OSGE at the church’s day-
care facility also seems to have had a
determining effect on many of the remaining
members who left after this last intervention.
The presence of a police contingent
accompanying the inspectors, since it constituted
a show of force at a point of the trajectory of the
BCW when few members were left, and at a
time when their pastor had all but abandoned
them, seems to have constitued a major blow to
the church. By the time of that latter
intervention, the BCW leader had indeed
distanced himself from his church, having
moved to a farm in another region, from where
he sought to manage his congregation. His move
was perceived as an abandonment by the
followers who were still loyal to him and who
felt strongly that they needed their pastor more
than ever in these times of turmoil. Whereas it
can be argued that the interventions of the social
agents described in the preceding pages
considerably reduced the pastor’s authority over
his followers, it can conversely be suggested that
his moving from Windsor and leaving his
followers to their own devices had the effect of
facilitating the social agents’ interventions, if
only by loosening his hold over the followers.
Pastor X, having left Windsor for good, put the
Church property, which was in his name, up for
sale. Members left the BCW all throughout 1986
and, by the end of that year, only a few
followers were left.
Aftermath
After having examined the evidence gathered by
the police and by the DPJE, the province’s
Attorney General granted immunity from
criminal prosecution to all the members of the
BCW. Criminal charges of assault concerning
six BCW children7 were, however, issued
against Pastor X, who additionally faced a
number of civil suits contesting his ownership of
church property. In March 1990, he was
sentenced to 90 days in prison for the assault
charges and 2 years’ probation, during which he
was prohibited from occupying any position in a
religious congregation. The civil charges were
resolved in various fashions, with the pastor
reimbursing former members at the end. In a
case concerning one teen who was a victim of
physical and sexual abuse, and whose parents
had not accepted the voluntary measures
7 The arrest warrant for Pastor X, issued on October 8, 1987,
contained eight charges under Section 245 of the Criminal Code,
RSC 1985, c C-14, (Canada, 1987, p. 224). At the time, this section
dealt with assault leaving bodily injury. Convictions were
punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
92 International Journal of Cultic Studies ■ Vol. 6, 2015
