Trial set for Calgary man facing sex charges involving Young Canadians performer

A trial date has been set on child sex abuse charges against a longtime employee of a performance group that entertains each year at the Calgary Stampede.

Philip Heerema faces 22 charges which include child pornography, sexual assault, luring a child via a computer and inciting sexual contact with a youth.

His four-week trial is to begin Jan. 15, 2018, before a judge and jury.

• Philip Heerema of Young Canadians ordered to stand trial

Police began investigating in January 2014 after they received a complaint from a student and his parents of an inappropriate relationship with a "person of authority" in The Young Canadians troupe.

Investigators said that after the initial complaint was made, other men came forward, who were all between 15 and 18 years old at the time of the alleged offences. One of the complaints dates back to 1997.

Heerema, 53, was with The Young Canadians for 36 years, but resigned from the organization at the beginning of the investigation.

The Young Canadians works with 120 students between 11 and 18 from the Calgary area. It offers them a chance to train in dance, voice and performance in a professional environment throughout the year.

Training culminates in their performance for an international audience of more than 150,000 spectators at the grandstand show at the Calgary Stampede.

Heerema had been listed on the school's website as business administrator and production services co-ordinator when he resigned.

A cached profile from the troupe's website details how he worked in many areas, including costuming, props, sets and lighting.

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