From the host that brought you the internationally award-winning podcast, The Band Played On, The Banned Teacher is a new investigation, in a new city, revealing new victims.

CBC today announced the launch of a new investigative podcast, The Banned Teacher, hosted by award-winning journalist Julie Ireton.

What begins with one woman’s search for justice uncovers several untold stories of alleged historical sexual abuse by the same high school music teacher. The survivors, now adults, say it happened in classrooms, cars and on school trips where they were supposed to be safe. 

This ten-part investigative series explores the trauma these women live with as they search for answers, and the sexism they face when they seek accountability. They break their silence, revealing long-held secrets cloaked in shame, and ending decades of solitude. Host Julie Ireton highlights systemic failures which beg the questions: Why didn’t anyone stop him? And, are students any safer today?

“As I found more survivors, it raised questions for me as to why the police and courts have not pursued these cases of historical sexual assault more thoroughly,” said Ireton. “I realized some authorities just didn’t see these sexual encounters between a teacher and girls as crimes, and the laws weren’t there to support them.”

The first three episodes are currently available on the CBC Listen App. Stream or download episodes of The Banned Teacher on CBC Listen now, or wherever you get your podcasts.

New episodes will be released every Monday beginning June 12 until the series finale on July 3.

“The launch of this new investigative podcast exemplifies CBC’s commitment to outstanding and impactful journalism,” said Drake Fenton, managing editor, CBC Ottawa. ”These deeply personal experiences were entrusted to our team due to their unwavering and compassionate dedication to accuracy and accountability.” 

Julie Ireton is an investigative reporter with CBC Ottawa. She has won several Canadian and international awards for her features and investigations, including a New York Festivals gold medal for Season 1 of the CBC podcast, The Band Played On. 

Alison Cook, the podcast’s producer and sound designer, has won international awards for her work, including the 2022 Gracie from the U.S.-based Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, for creating radio programming with and for women. 

To gain a deeper understanding of the women in this podcast, and to see photos and behind-the-scenes videos, visit cbc.ca/thebannedteacher.

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About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, and both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

For further Information, please contact:

Hayley Zimak, Senior Communications Officer, CBC Ontario 

hayley.zimak@cbc.ca 

437-326-3513

Lama Alsafi, Senior Manager, Communications, CBC Ontario 

lama.alsafi@cbc.ca

343-550-4124