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Edmonton police have charged a daycare employee in a child sexual assault case, renewing calls for greater transparency for parents.
Kulraj Singh, 21, was arrested Tuesday, almost two weeks after a parent reported to police on April 8 an alleged assault involving their child at a west Edmonton daycare, where Singh worked as a teaching assistant.
He is charged with one count each of sexual assault and sexual interference.
Police say Singh worked at a second daycare in central Edmonton, and investigators believe there may be more complainants.
Police have not released the name of the daycares. The provincial government also declined to identify them.
“In some police investigations, specific times, dates, addresses or company names are not released in order to protect the integrity of the investigation and eventual court proceedings, and to ensure the privacy of those affected,” an Edmonton Police Service spokesperson told CBC News in an emailed statement.
A spokesperson for the Alberta government said it withheld this information due to privacy legislation.
Transparency concerns
The case comes months after concerns were raised in the fall, when some Edmonton families said they were not adequately informed about an alleged sexual assault at a daycare.
In that case, a former worker at Willowbrae Academy Mill Creek fled the country while facing charges related to incidents involving two children. Families said they were initially notified only of a “serious incident,” without details of its sexual nature.
Under Alberta’s Early Learning and Child Care Act, daycare operators must report abuse allegations to regulators, but there is no obligation to automatically report investigations of abuse to families of the children using clear language.
Parents later said they only learned the full extent of the allegations at a town hall meeting, when the survivor’s mother shared that a sexual assault had occurred.
Afterward, a second child came forward, leading to more charges.
At the time, NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt raised parents’ concerns to Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides in the legislature. Nicolaides said then that his ministry would review those practices.
On Thursday, Nicolaides said he has directed ministry officials to explore policy options to improve how and when parents are notified of serious incidents, while balancing the limits of active criminal investigations.
Changes requiring legislation could come as early as the fall sitting, though no final decisions have been made, Nicolaides said.
“If we decide to go that route and it is required, the fall would likely be the earliest possible opportunity,” he said.
NDP MLA Diana Batten, the Opposition’s child care and child and family services critic, said the situation highlights ongoing gaps, despite her party’s calls for the government to address transparency.
“What we had asked of the government, of the minister … is to look at the legislation, figure out what is going wrong and tighten it there — apply the pressure of the government to ensure that this does not continue to happen in our child-care centres,” Batten said.
She said she was delighted to hear that Nicolaides has indicated his ministry will look at legislation.
Police investigation ongoing
Police said Singh has been suspended by his employer and his child-care certification has also been suspended.
He has been released on bail with conditions, including that he have no contact with the complainant and restrictions on being around places frequented by children, such as public pools, schools and libraries.
He is also barred from holding any position of trust involving anyone under 16.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Singh is scheduled to appear in court May 1.