WARNING: This story contains allegations of child abuse and sexual exploitation.

Peel Regional Police are leading an investigation into allegations of child abuse at Robert Land Academy, a military-style school that operated in Ontario’s Niagara Region from 1978 to 2025.

The special victims unit is heading the investigation, police announced Monday.

“Investigators are seeking to speak with anyone who may have any information related to alleged abuse at the academy,” police said in a news release, adding anyone with information can contact investigators or Peel Crime Stoppers.

Dozens of former students of the private boys’ boarding school in Lincoln have previously alleged physical and emotional abuse, and in some cases, sexual exploitation.

CBC Hamilton asked Peel police what prompted the investigation and why the service is looking into allegations from Niagara. A spokesperson said Niagara Regional Police Service requested that Peel take the lead, adding: “Given this is an ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to provide  any further comment at this time.”

Monday’s announcement comes months after a CBC Hamilton investigative report about Robert Land, which closed in June after former students filed lawsuits against the school, alleging abuse that occurred primarily in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, but also into the 2010s. 

In a statement of defence filed in response to one lawsuit, Robert Land denied all of the allegations. The academy says that if any abuse, assaults or exploitation did happen, it was not the school’s fault.

School filed for bankruptcy

Robert land announced a year ago next month that it would be closing, but didn’t mention the abuse allegations as a reason, saying the move was due to declining enrolment — including fewer international students — and rising costs.

The school has filed for bankruptcy, with financial documents showing an estimated $135 million needed for litigation and “claims against the company.” 

Robert Land staff at the school held ranks, students were called “cadets,” and all wore military-style uniforms and followed a strict military routine. Armed Forces did not oversee or manage operations at Robert Land, spokesperson Nick Drescher Brown told CBC last fall.

Thousands of families sent their children to the boarding school over the decades. Tuition for each student was in the tens of thousands of dollars a year.

One former student told CBC he experienced “absolute hell,” facing intense physical punishments at the hands of staff, as well as hard labour. According to another student, an instructor broke his legs. 

The allegations haven’t been proven in court.

Call for tighter checks of private schools

Through research by CBC and former students, it came to light that some instructors had criminal convictions while they were working at Robert Land in the 1990s and early 2000s. Private school staff aren’t required to pass vulnerable-sector background checks that would flag past criminal charges.

About two dozen former Robert Land students gathered at Queen’s Park in the fall to demand tighter regulation of Ontario’s private schools.

At the time,  Education Minister Paul Calandra’s press secretary, Emma Testani, said the province’s oversight role of private schools is limited to checking those that are wishing to grant high school credits. She said anyone with allegations of abuse and criminal activities should contact police.

If you’re affected by this report, you can look for mental health support through resources in your province or territory . If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.