Police said Wednesday they have already taken statements from more than 70 people who say they were abused at the youth jail in Waterville, N.S., but believe there could be up to 200 in total.

“If you, or someone you know, has experienced sexual assault while at Waterville, we want you to know we are here to support you,” said Const. Shannon Herbert, an investigator with Operation Headwind. “Anyone who chooses to come forward will be treated with dignity and respect.”

The hotline can be reached at 902-720-5313, or toll-free at 1-833-314-3475 from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. A confidential voicemail is available after hours. Investigators can also be reached by email at headwind@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

At a news conference Wednesday, police would not offer any information about the alleged perpetrator, including whether a single staff member or several were named, or whether former residents themselves were facing allegations. No arrests have yet been made, and no charges have been laid.

RCMP said while their current investigation began in 2019, they had previously received reports of abuse, but their investigations at the time did not yield sufficient evidence to lay charges.

A class-action lawsuit was filed in 2019 on behalf of three men who say they were subjected to sexual abuse during their stay at the Nova Scotia Youth Centre dating back to the youth correctional center’s opening in 1988.

They say the abuse by a swim instructor at the facility included sexual assault, unwanted touching and sexual touching and improper viewing of them while they were undressed in changing rooms.

The men leading the class action were between 16 and 18 years old at the time of the incidents.

The province’s notice of defense, filed in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 2019, says the men’s allegations were made against Donald Douglas Williams, who was employed at the provincially operated facility from 1988 to 2017.

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