Dick Nadeau

 Dick Nadeau was sexually molested by several men, including Father Hector Cote, a Viatorian priest teaching at the now defunct Classical College in Cornwall. 

Dick operated the controversial projecttruth2.com website

Dick Nadeau was sexually molested by Father Hector Cote csv while Nadeau was a student at the now defunct Cornwall Classical Classical College which was operated by the Viatorian priests (Clerics of St.Viator).

Nadeau became well known near and afar for naming names and as the operator of the tell-all website projecttruth2.com. It was in that capacity that Dick was eventually sued along with several other individuals (Cameron et al v. Bateman et al) by Bishop Eugene Larocque and several other priest from the diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.  He was also cited with contempt of court by Justice Colin McKinnon during the Project Truth sex abuse trial of Cornwall lawyer and Church canon lawyer Jacques Leduc.

Prior to his contempt hearing in Ottawa Nadeau, who was then in poor health and without means to pay hefty legal fees, was advised by his lawyer to just go before the judge and apologize and the citation would be 'purged.' It didn't happen that way. 

Dick was found guilty. The judge who found Dick Nadeau guilty of contempt and fined him $1,000 was Justice J.D. Cunningham.  It was Cunningham who allegedly pulled Justice James Chadwick in to the Leduc trial after McKinnon was obliged to recuse himself after his conflict of interest regarding Perry Dunlop and former Chief of Police Claude Shaver had been publicly exposed in court by Nadeau.  And it was Chadwick who turned the Leduc sex abuse trial into the trial and lynching of Perry Dunlop.  Chadwick granted Leduc his first stay.  The stay was later overturned on appeal. Leduc went back to trial, claimed his Charter right to a speedy trial ahd been violated and won a second stay.  There was no appeal.

Dick Nadeau had a lot to say about the Cornwall scandal.  He spent hours and months and a small fortune tracking down and interviewing victims, witnesses and molesters alike. His 20 January 2001 posting "The Right to Know is the Bedrock of Democracy" posted here in full is quoted in part in legal documents elsewhere on this site.  It is this posting which triggered Justice Colin McKinnon to officially cite Nadeau with contempt of court. 

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The Cornwall Inquiry website erroneously lists Dick as a member of the Victims Group.  He was not.  Dick told anyone who would listen that he was a stalwart, proud and loyal member of the Coalition for Action - the only group which applied for and was denied standing at the Cornwall inquiry.  Several weeks before his death when he discovered that he was listed as a member of the Victims Group Nadeau contacted inquiry staff to ask that his name be removed from the list.  To date that has not been accomplished. 

Lawsuit re Dick's sexual abuse 

09 January 2001:  Sex abuse lawsuit filed by Richard (Dick) Nadeau et al against Les Clercs St. Viateur (Viatorian priests who operated the Cornwall Classical College) and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall in Ontario, Canada.  (pdf file)

Text version of pp. 2 to 9 of lawsuit

The Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall somehow managed to extricate itself from the action.  The suit was settled out of court in 2004.  The victims were gagged regarding the terms of settlement

Carmen Pregent, Dick’s common-law wife, testifies at the Cornwall Public Inquiry

01 November 2007: Impact and Recommendations 

01 November 2007: Nadeau Paid The Price-Inquiry Witness

02 November 2007: Nadeau's widow says names belonged on controversial website 

01 November 2007: Project Truth Website Examined

01 November 2007: 'He was an activist': Nadeau's wife 

Dick Sued by Bishop Larocque et al

19 September 200: The lawsuit

The Consent

Dick apparently agreed to a discontinuance of the lawsuit without costs. To that end two documents were signed on his behalf by lawer for the palintiffs, David Sheriff-Scott (Dick had not retained a lawyer). The package of documents was couriered to Dick with a cover letter on the same day.  That package can be accessed in the first link below.

Why Dick was unable to sign in person is unknown.

When a party in an action agrees to disocontinue there is an obligation to send copies of the signed agreement to all parties involved in the legal action. 

Compare the two documents below. The signature in the signature block is that of David Sheriff-Scott who signed on Dick’s behalf.  Note that the copy received by James Bateman is different than the copy received by Dick, both in text and the signature.

23 August 2001: Cover letter and documents from David Sheriff-Scott re Dick’s “Consent” to discontinue the action

23 August 2001: Dick's copy of his “Consent” to dismissal

23 August 2001: The copy of Dick's “Consent” to dismissal received by James Batman, a defendant in the action.

Also of interest is the fact that the Consent to discontinue was signed 23 August 2001, however a 2002 Court History Report indicates it was discontinued 06 December 2001.

Articles of Interest

09 June 2005:  Dick Nadeau Letter to the Editor (re appointment of Justice Glaude)

From Dick's website, Fall '06: Finally!!! A Project Truth Win 

17 June 2002:  Dick Nadeau account of Bishop Paul Andre installation and victim protest 

05 May 2001:  Dick Nadeau letter to Ontario PC Attorney General David Young 

02 March 2001: Dick Nadeau on Leduc trial #1 

09 February 2000: Dick Nadeau pours out heart and soul to Len Hooper (Cornwall Standard Freeholder) 

Nadeau Dead at 66

Cornwall News AM 1220

 April 24, 2006 - One of the more controversial players in the Project Truth investigations and trials has passed away. Dick Nadeau died at an Ottawa hospital last week at the age of 66. He was known for his Project Truth websites which garnered plenty of attention from both the public and the courts. Former Ottawa area MPP Garry Guzzo tells AM 1220 News Nadeau was one of the shrewdest and most dedicated individuals he has every dealt with.