The former head of the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre is facing criminal charges related to child luring.
Christopher Robin Beaton, former executive director of the centre, faces two counts of telecommunicating to lure a child under 18.
Beaton faces the charges from incidents alleged to have occurred on Dec. 29, 2018 and Feb. 24, 2020 and is scheduled to appear in B.C. provincial court in Nanaimo on Sept. 14.
Beaton was named to B.C.’s Provincial Child Care Council in 2019 and a government announcement at the time noted that he had more than 25 years’ experience in the social services sector.
In a social media post, Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre said it is aware of the charges against Beaton, who has not worked at the centre since March.
“We are very disturbed at the nature of the charges and will wait for the justice system to run its course,” said the post. “We have very little information about the allegations and respect the privacy of all of the individuals involved. The NAC board and employees feel angry and betrayed and NAC wishes to state emphatically that we did not and do not condone this type of conduct in any way.
“Whatever the outcome of the criminal proceedings, Mr. Beaton will not be returning to the employment of NAC.”
Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre said it won’t be issuing any further comment, as it is an ongoing criminal matter.
