British Columbia·NewA former elementary teacher in northeast B.C. has been banned for life from teaching in the province following a child pornography investigation that resulted in no criminal charges nearly five years ago.Devin Roy Gray was investigated by RCMP but never charged following 2021 arrestMatt Preprost · CBC News · Posted: Sep 19, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoThe School District 60 office in Fort St. John. The school district suspended Devin Roy Gray after he was arrested at a local elementary school in April 2021. (Matt Preprost/CBC)A former elementary teacher in northeast British Columbia has been banned from teaching in the province following a child pornography investigation that resulted in no criminal charges nearly five years ago.Devin Roy Gray agreed to a lifetime prohibition from reapplying for a teacher certificate in B.C., according to a decision published Tuesday by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation. He was arrested at a Fort St. John school in April 2021, after a months-long investigation traced sexual images of elementary school-aged children uploaded to Tumblr — a social media platform — to both an email account and electronic devices associated with Gray’s name, according to the decision.One of the devices police seized during a search of Gray’s home in February 2021 contained more than 500 images and videos of children believed to be between the ages of three and 13, the decision says.”Gray allowed his Device and email address to be used to access child pornography,” acting commissioner Donnaree Nygard wrote. “Child pornography directly and indirectly harms children. His conduct undermines the public confidence in the profession.”No criminal charges approvedGray admitted to several facts laid out in Nygard’s decision, including that the device with the images also contained his resume, “as well as materials related to teaching.” However, Nygard noted Crown prosecutors did not approve charges against Gray following his arrest.In a statement to CBC News, the B.C. Prosecution Service said charges are only approved if evidence “provides a substantial likelihood of conviction.” Prosecutors must weigh the strength and credibility of evidence in a case against “the likelihood that viable defences will succeed.””Except in rare circumstances, we do not share the reasoning behind decision-making in individual prosecutions,” spokesperson Damienne Darby said. “Routinely disclosing information relating to the exercise of prosecutorial discretion would undermine our independence and the rule of law.”Discipline outcomes shared with other provinces: ministryGray first obtained his B.C. teaching certificate in 2003, according to the decision. He was placed on leave and later suspended by the Peace River North school district two weeks after his arrest in 2021. His certificate was formally cancelled in November 2024, for non-payment of fees, the decision says.The Ministry of Education and Child Care said the province proactively shares all discipline decisions with other teacher regulators across Canada. While each province and territory has its own process for reviewing teacher certification, a ministry spokesperson said publishing and distributing discipline outcomes helps maintain transparency and accountability in the profession.”Schools must be a safe place for children, staff and families, and everyone in our education system is expected to uphold that unequivocal standard.”ABOUT THE AUTHORMatt Preprost is an award-winning journalist and editor focused on northeast British Columbia including Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Chetwynd, and Tumbler Ridge. The former editor of the Alaska Highway News, he moved to Fort St. John in 2013 to report on pipeline politics, the Site C dam, and rural life in B.C.’s Peace Country. You can contact him at mathew.preprost@cbc.ca
Elementary teacher barred from profession in B.C. after child porn investigation
