Roxanna Thompson and Adam Johnson
Northern News Services
Thursday, June 21, 2007

FORT PROVIDENCE - Some residents of Fort Providence are questioning whether the sentence for a former teacher convicted of sexual exploitation is harsh enough.

Marvin Lizotte, 37, was sentenced to 14 months in jail after being convicted of three counts of sexual exploitation connected to three teenage students. The convictions stem from his time as a physical education instructor at Deh Gah school in Fort Providence.

Lizotte was sentenced in court on June 14 in the community.

Chief Berna Landry, of the Deh Gah Got'ie Koe First Nation, said she personally thought that Lizotte should have received a longer sentence of between five to 10 years.

"I thought it was too light for the feeling the girls had to go through,” said Landry.

Landry said she's talked to other community members who also suggested that a sentence of just 14 months in jail is too light.

The community was surprised when news of the crimes was made public.

"When we first heard about it I was shocked,” said Landry.

Landry said she didn't think such things could happen in this day and age.

In the community people are just starting a process to work through their reaction to the crimes, said Landry.

After the initial court appearance community members had just started to acknowledge the crimes had happened and were deciding what to do next, she said. With the additional court date for the sentencing, people are dealing with the matter all over again and deciding how to cope, said Landry.

The families related to the victims are going through something that most people will never understand, she said. The victims will also have a long healing process.

"It's something the girls will feel for the rest of their lives,” said Landry.

The crimes occurred between 1998 and 2002. Crown prosecutor John Macfarlane said Lizotte initiated sexual contact with the students via e-mail. The girls were then between the ages of 14 and 16.

At the time of his arrest in January 2006, Lizotte was the principal and sole teacher of Kakisa Lake school, in Kakisa.

Lizotte received 12 months for one count, and a month each for the two others -- all to be served consecutively. He was initially charged with three counts of sexual assault above and beyond the sexual exploitation charges.

The maximum penalty for sexual exploitation is five years in prison, while the maximum penalty for sexual assault is 10 years.

Aside from his prison sentence, Lizotte will be on the national sex offender registry for the next 20 years, and submitted to a DNA registry with the RCMP.

In addition to his criminal charges, Lizotte could have action taken against him by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

Under the Education Staff Regulations teaching certificates can be suspended or cancelled on a number of grounds including unprofessional conduct on the part of a teacher or a former teacher. The deputy minister reviews a teacher's status if they are convicted under the Criminal Code.

Charles Dent, the minister of Education, Culture and Employment, said he's unable to speak about individual cases so he can't comment on whether Lizotte's certificate has been suspended or cancelled.

In general teachers can expect to have their certificate cancelled in the Northwest Territories if they are convicted of a sex crime involving students, said Dent.

The territory also has an agreement with the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education in which they are obligated to share a notice with the rest of Canada if a teacher has their certification cancelled or suspended. The territory also receives notices.

Because the territory isn't involved in hiring teachers the notices are forwarded to the Divisional Education Councils. The department also stipulates that the councils must do criminal records checks on teachers who are hired, said Dent.