A Mount Allison student has been charged with three counts of sexual assault in relation to incidents that occurred in 2019 on the Dalhousie university campus in Halifax.
In a release on Jan. 21, Halifax Regional Police said they charged 20-year-old Michael James Allain of Bedford, Nova Scotia for sexual assault related to three separate incidents that occurred in September and October 2019, involving two different people.
Allain is scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial Court at a later date to face the charges.
Although the university will not confirm that Allain was a student, a young man identified as Michael Allain was in Sackville in September 2020, when he was featured in a CTV News story talking to students about their feelings returning to campus during the pandemic.
And on Jan. 22, Mount Allison’s acting vice president of international and student affairs, Anne Comfort, sent a letter to students and staff explaining that a Mount Allison student who had been charged with sexual assault would not be returning to campus, and had indeed not returned to Mount Allison for the winter term.
Without identifying the person, Comfort referred to charges laid against a university student from Nova Scotia who was currently a Mount Allison student.
Comfort’s letter stressed that the charges in question were related to incidents which did not take place in New Brunswick. She said that the student in question transferred to Mount Allison in the fall of 2020, attended classes last term, and lived in residence.
Comfort said when the university learned of the charges against the student, they immediately took measures to ensure the community was “safe and free of any increased risk of sexual violence and harassment associated with this individual.”
Comfort said that while the case was still before the courts in Nova Scotia, the university felt the nature of the charges was such that it was, “important to take all necessary precautions to maintain the safety and security of [Mount Allison] students, and the community as a whole.”
Comfort’s letter came just days before an update from President Jean-Paul Boudreau on the university’s progress with its action plan to overhaul policies and procedures pertaining to sexual violence on campus.
Comfort’s letter also reminded students that sexual assault support and counselling is available through Mount Allison’s partnership with the South East Sexual Assault Centre.
Anyone can call the South East Sexual Assault Crisis Centre for help or support at their 24/7 crisis phone line: 1-844-853-0811.
Another great resource for help and support for general mental health needs is the CHIMO helpline, 1-800-667-5005
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