Nadeau Paid The Price-Inquiry Witness

November 01, 2007 — Carmen Pregent says “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” The spouse of Dick Nadeau testified this morning about Nadeau's controversial websites detailing allegations of abuse. Pregent says nothing would have been done without Nadeau and Perry Dunlop who is the former city police officer credited with uncovering child sex abuse allegations in the area. Pregent says Nadeau paid the price for his involvement in the matter. Nadeau died in April 2006.

Nadeau's widow says names belonged on controversial website

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

02 November 2007

Posted By Terri Saunders

The widow of the author of a controversial Project Truth website said Thursday any names contained on a list of alleged pedophiles deserved to be there.

"I can't think of any name that's there that shouldn't be there," said Carmen Pregent, the widow of Dick Nadeau, a late Casselman man who once operated a website dedicated to exposing an alleged pedophile ring in the Cornwall area. "The community should be aware that these people are linked to these abuses. Our children should be protected."

Nadeau passed away in April 2006 at the age of 64. Prior to his death, he spent several years running a website called projecttruth2.com which contained dozens of statements and affidavits from alleged victims of child sexual abuse. Many of those documents contained the names of area men who were never charged with any crimes by police investigators.

While testifying at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Thursday, Pregent said anyone accused of such a crime was fair game, in her mind, and she believed her husband was willing to take whatever victims said at face value.

"They (alleged perpetrators) were being accused of abusing these victims (and) whether they were prominent people or not, they were involved," said Pregent. "He (Nadeau) gave people the benefit of the doubt and he didn't try to verify their statements."

Pregent said her husband was convinced local authorities, as well as officials within the provincial justice system, were part of a conspiracy to cover up allegations of child sexual abuse leveled at prominent men in the community.

She said Nadeau also had little faith in the inquiry, even though he had supported the movement to have a commission established.

"Dick was hoping . . . somebody from outside the legal system (would be appointed as the inquiry commissioner) - (former Ontario premier) Bob Rae was a name he mentioned to me at one point - just to avoid even the appearance of a conflict," said Pregent. "He washed his hands of it; he was convinced it was going to go nowhere; it was a rubber stamp; window dressing; going through the motions."

When asked if her husband may have agreed to testify before the commission if he were still alive, Pregent said she believed that to be an unlikely scenario.

"I really cannot answer that question, but I don't think so," she said.

"When he was approached by (lead commission counsel) Peter Engelmann, he only had two words to tell him."

Pregent said she also believes her husband, former city cop Perry Dunlop and his brother-in-law, Carson Chisholm, were "scapegoats" for public institutions.

"Dick and Perry and Carson always were used as the scapegoats in all of this," said Pregent. "Instead of putting . . . energy into uncovering whether there really was sexual abuse, it was about proving (the involvement) of Perry and Dick.

The whole story was about Perry and Dick. No one talked about the victims or the abusers."

Pregent said the Cornwall story was in the forefront of her husband's mind as he was taking his last breaths.

"It cost him his life," said Pregent. "His last sentence, other than telling me he loved me, was, 'How's it going in Cornwall?'

"I had a hard time answering him."

The inquiry will resume Nov. 13 at 9:30 a.m.