The Calgary Police Service (CPS) has released more information on the investigation of Michael Andreassen Gregory.
In February 2021, the 57-year-old De Winton resident and former teacher faced six counts of sexual assault and 11 counts of sexual exploitation after multiple former students came forward with reports of sexual misconduct.
He taught at John Ware Junior High School in Calgary between 1986 and 2006.
Gregory was found dead on Quadra Island, British Columbia a few days after the charges were laid.
CPS continued the investigation, and since then, 10 more victims submitted complaints to Calgary police, with around 35 witnesses also coming forward.
Detective Timothy Fitzgibbon with the Sexual Assault Investigative Unit was quoted in a CPS release, explaining why the investigation continued after Gregory's death.
"It was important for us as an agency to continue to investigate and understand the level of abuse committed by Gregory... This is to ensure victims feel heard and examine how to work with our community partners to help prevent students from being victimized in the future."
Part of the investigation involved the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA), who had reportedly heard of abusive behaviour on Gregory's part years before charges were laid.
CPS was unable to find any historical reports of sexual misconduct to police but did determine that an unrelated complaint was made to the ATA in the past.
An investigator with the ATA was tasked with investigating Gregory's teaching history, and did identify several instances of misconduct, according to CPS.
The Alberta Crown Prosecution Service then conducted a review of that ATA portion of the investigation, which concluded that ATA officials were aware of sexual misconduct.
A quote from Detective Fitzgibbon says the report from the Crown is a privileged legal document, and that its contents can't be released in full.
"What I can say is that at this time, based on the current evidence, and the evaluation of the law, that there are no criminal charges against any person or entity forthcoming. This investigation will remain open so that should new evidence arise, further review can be completed."
CPS included a statement about the victims involved in the investigation.
The Calgary Police Service wishes again to acknowledge the victims and witnesses who came forward to aid in this investigation, many of whom were children at the time the offences took place. We recognize that it can be difficult to share personal details of trauma even if the events took place many years ago.
They encourage victims of sexual assault to report incidents to police no matter how long ago they occurred, as there is no statute of limitations for sexual offences in Canada.