Nova ScotiaThe men, who allege Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh abused them when they were young boys in the 1970s, say the province failed to investigate the case against the Port Hawkesbury-area businessman in a timely manner.Lawsuit alleges the province failed to investigate the case in a timely mannerBlair Rhodes · CBC News · Posted: Nov 13, 2025 10:35 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh, a Port Hawkesbury-area businessman, is pictured outside court in 2010. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)Six men who say they were sexually abused by Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh have launched a lawsuit against the Nova Scotia government, alleging it failed to investigate the case against the Port Hawkesbury-area businessman in a timely manner.The men allege MacIntosh abused them when they were young boys in the 1970s. He was convicted on a total of 17 charges following two trials in 2010 and 2011. But those convictions were overturned on appeal, a decision that was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.MacIntosh won his appeal because the case against him took too long to proceed, partly because he had to be extradited from India.When their criminal case was thrown out, the six men launched a civil action against MacIntosh in 2019. MacIntosh tried to countersue the six men, but the courts rejected his attempt.Incomplete information filed, documents sayIn this latest lawsuit, which was filed in October in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax, the lawyer for the six men laid out the gaps and lapses they say the attorney general’s department was responsible for, leading to the convictions being overturned.They include the allegation that the department did nothing on the file between August 1996 and September 1997. The lawsuit goes on to say that while MacIntosh was living in India, Canadian authorities filed incomplete information in their bid to have him extradited back to Canada to face the sexual assault charges here.“These efforts eventually fell so far short of the internal policies and obligations of the Crown, that it would lead the federal authorities and the plaintiffs to question whether there was any intention of seeking his repatriation,” reads a section of the lawsuit. “The failure to provide the requested information has never been explained.”The lawsuit goes on for 14 pages and 99 paragraphs, outlining their grievances against the attorney general. If successful, the lawsuit is seeking $250,000 for each of the six men.None of the allegations has been proven in court.In a statement, a spokesperson for the provincial Justice Department said that they “recognize the courage of survivors who come forward to report sexual abuse.””As this is an active case before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specific matter,” they said.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORBlair Rhodes has been a journalist for more than 40 years, the last 31 with CBC. His primary focus is on stories of crime and public safety. He can be reached at blair.rhodes@cbc.ca
6 men sue N.S. government over alleged mishandling of sexual abuse investigation
