Canadian businessman Frank Stronach charged in sexual assault investigation
Canadian businessman Frank Stronach has been charged in connection with alleged sexual assaults that spanned over four decades, police west of Toronto announced on Friday.
Peel Regional Police released few details about the investigation but said in a news release that the alleged incidents occurred between the 1980s and 2023.
The 91-year-old billionaire from Aurora, Ont., was arrested on Friday and charged with rape, indecent assault on a female, forcible confinement and two counts of sexual assault.
In a statement issued to CTV News Toronto, Stronach’s lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said his client “categorically denies” the allegations.
“He looks forward to the opportunity to fully respond to the charges and maintain his legacy both (as) a philanthropist and as an icon of the Canadian business community,” Greenspan wrote.
Police said Stronach was released on conditions and is scheduled to appear at a Brampton court at a later date.
"We understand the significant public interest in this investigation. To protect the identity and privacy of the victims and to maintain the integrity of the judicial process, we will not be providing further information at this time," Peel police spokesperson Const. Tyler Bell-Morena said in an email to CTV News Toronto.
Stronach founded Magna International Inc., an Ontario-based global automotive parts manufacturer.
The company, in a statement to CTV News Toronto, said it had no knowledge of the investigation or the allegations.
"Mr. Stronach has had no affiliation with Magna since relinquishing control in 2010," a Magna International representative said.
"For now, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we cannot provide any further comment."
The Stronach Group, an entertainment and real estate development company the 91-year-old also founded, said in a statement on Friday that it was aware of the charges.
"Frank Stronach has not held a formal role or been involved with company operations in any capacity for several years. This matter is now before the courts and will be dealt with in the appropriate forum. The company has nothing further to add," the statement read.
Police ask anyone with any relevant information about the investigation to contact them at 905-453-2121 ext. 3460 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE AT 11 EST Trudeau to announce temporary GST relief on select items heading into holidays
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce a two-month GST relief on select items heading into holidays to address affordability issues, sources confirm to CTV News.
'Ding-dong-ditch' prank leads to kidnapping, assault charges for Que. couple
A Saint-Sauveur couple was back in court on Wednesday, accused of attacking a teenager over a prank.
Border agency detained dozens of 'forced labour' cargo shipments. Now it's being sued
Canada's border agency says it has detained about 50 shipments of cargo over suspicions they were products of forced labour under rules introduced in 2020 — but only one was eventually determined to be in breach of the ban.
Joly says next U.S. ambassador Hoekstra will help advance 'shared priorities'
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is welcoming president-elect Donald Trump's pick for the next U.S. ambassador in Ottawa.
Estate sale Emily Carr painting bought for US$50 nets C$290,000 at Toronto auction
An Emily Carr painting that sold for US$50 at an estate sale has fetched C$290,000 at a Toronto auction.
Parole board reverses decision and will allow families of Paul Bernardo's victims to attend upcoming parole hearing in person
The families of the victims of Paul Bernardo will be allowed to attend the serial killer’s upcoming parole hearing in person, the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) says.
2 boys drowned and a deception that gripped the U.S.: Why the Susan Smith case is still intensely felt 30 years later
Inside Susan Smith’s car pulled from the bottom of a South Carolina lake in 1994 were the bodies of her two young boys, still strapped in their car seats, along with her wedding dress and photo album. Here's how the case unfolded.
Ontario man agrees to remove backyard hockey rink
A Markham hockey buff who built a massive backyard ice rink without permissions or permits has reluctantly agreed to remove the sprawling surface, following a years-long dispute with the city and his neighbours.
Genetic evidence backs up COVID-19 origin theory that pandemic started in seafood market
A group of researchers say they have more evidence to suggest the COVID-19 pandemic started in a Chinese seafood market where it spread from infected animals to humans. The evidence is laid out in a recent study published in Cell, a scientific journal, nearly five years after the first known COVID-19 outbreak.