That is 0 articles you have read today.
The Aporia is free and carries no advertising, so readers are the only
thing paying for it. If you are getting this much out of it, a small
donation is what keeps it independent.
Daily limit reached
You have read 0 articles today.
That is more than the 15 a day The Aporia gives away,
and well past what it can carry on nothing. Your allowance resets at
midnight.
There is no advertising here and nothing about you is sold, so readers
are the only thing paying for it. If the site is worth this much of
your day, it is worth a few dollars.
Everything else stays open: the
maps, the
directory and
search do
not count against this, and neither does re-opening something you have
already read today.
A former administrator from a Saskatoon private Christian school named Lou Brunelle testified at the assault trial of Duff Arthur Friesen, who faces five counts of assaulting students with a wooden paddle between 1997 and 2007. Brunelle confirmed that paddling was an official disciplinary method but also noted that parental consent was obtained and alternative methods like detentions were used alongside it. A 1997 magazine photo showing Brunelle holding the paddle is now evidence in the trial, which also heard testimonies from former students detailing their experiences of physical punishment at the school.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In Saskatoon, a former administrator of a private Christian school, identified in a 1997 Maclean's magazine photo holding a wooden paddle, testified at the trial of the school’s former principal, Duff Arthur Friesen, who faces five counts of assault with a weapon. The charges against Friesen involve hitting students with a paddle during his tenure from 1997 to 2007 at Christian Centre Academy, which later became Legacy Christian Academy and then Valour Academy. The school is closely tied to Mile Two Church, now known as Encounter Church. Former administrator Lou Brunelle testified that paddling was part of the school's policy and that parents had consented to it. Friesen has pleaded not guilty to all charges, with Brunelle's testimony playing a key role in presenting the historical context of disciplinary practices at the school.
Written for “Sexual Abuse Trial Evidence” on 2026-09-15,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 9455 · logged 2026-09-14
Former Saskatoon private school admin, pictured with paddle in 1997, testifies at former principal's trial
1997 magazine photo now a court exhibit at Duff Friesen's assault trial
A photo of a former administrator for a Saskatoon private Christian school holding a wooden paddle, published in Maclean's magazine 30 years ago, is now evidence in the assault trial of a former principal at the school.
asserted
photo → picture → school
Duff Arthur Friesen faces five counts of assault with a weapon.
asserted
Friesen → face → weapon
He has pleaded not guilty to all of them.
asserted
He → plead → them
Friesen is accused of hitting students with a wooden paddle.
asserted
Friesen → accuse → paddle
The charges stem from his time at Christian Centre Academy from 1997 to 2007.
asserted
charges → stem → 2007
The school was later renamed Legacy Christian Academy, then Valour Academy.
asserted
school → rename → ?
It's closely associated with Mile Two Church, now called Encounter Church.
asserted
It → associate → Church
He testified Monday that paddling was school policy and parents signed off.
asserted
parents → testify → ?
Brunelle worked at the school from 1989 to 2001, first as a supervisor and then an administrative assistant, reporting to the director and senior to the teachers.
asserted
Brunelle → work → teachers
He said the role can be compared to that of a vice-principal.
asserted
role → say → principal
He said the paddle was one of multiple methods, alongside things like demerits and detentions, that the school used to enforce discipline for things like stealing, lying or cheating.
asserted
school → say → stealing
“We would chat with the child.
asserted
We → chat → child
If warranted — three swats,” he told the jury.
asserted
he → warrant → jury
He said the student and the discipliner would then pray together.
asserted
student → say → ?
Brunelle also testified that none of the staff at the school at the time were certified to work as teachers.
asserted
none → testify → teachers
He added that the curriculum was approved and that students received Ministry of Education transcripts that allowed them to go on to university.
asserted
them → add → university
The Crown closed its case Friday after calling five former students, each of whom testified about being struck with a wooden paddle.
asserted
each → close → paddle
Robyn Mandell said Friesen spanked her hard enough to leave bruises for days.
asserted
Friesen → say → days
She said it was extremely "humiliating, shameful and terrifying."
asserted
it → say → ?
Coy Nolin, who testified on Wednesday, told the jury he was called to Friesen's office during a school day after Friesen sent a letter to his mother about his schoolwork, and was told he would be taken off the basketball team if he didn't catch up.
asserted
he → testify → team
He said Friesen told him he’d be getting paddled and sent back to class.
asserted
he → say → class
Nolin said he then put his hands on the seat of a chair and bent over.
asserted
he → say → chair
“He struck me three times,” Nolin said.
asserted
Nolin → strike → me
The trial is set for two weeks, with Justice Daryl Labach presiding.
asserted
Labach → set → weeks
The Aporia
