Ottawa teacher facing historic sex assault charges in Saskatchewan

An RCMP vehicle is shown in this undated file photo.

WYNYARD, Sask. — A teacher from Ottawa is facing sex charges for alleged offences in Saskatchewan between 1990 and 1996.

Wynyard RCMP say they were contacted in February 2019 by a woman who filed a report of historic sexual assault.

Since the initial report, police say five other people have provided information to police in Saskatchewan involving the same person.

Investigators have determined the alleged victims knew the man through his role as a teacher in Saskatchewan.

Gerard Loehr, who is 57, was charged with five counts of sexual assault and six counts of sexual interference.

Police say he was a teacher in Wynyard and Foam Lake schools and may have substituted at other schools in the area southeast of Saskatoon as well.

They say he left Saskatchewan in 1996 and continued to teach music at schools in Ottawa after 2000. He was also investigated by the Ottawa Police Service and charged in 2019 with multiple counts of sexual assault and sexual interference.

Loehr was arrested in Ottawa on Monday and transported back to Saskatchewan to appear in Yorkton provincial court. He was to appear Thursday in Wadena provincial court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Feb. 20, 2020