Sexual offence charges against Frank Stronach stem from 10 alleged victims: source

The new criminal charges announced this week against billionaire businessman Frank Stronach stem from incidents involving a further seven alleged victims in Ontario, according to a source with knowledge of the case. This brings the total number of Stronach's alleged sexual assault victims to ten.

The source who spoke to CBC News said Stronach was taken into Peel Regional Police custody on Wednesday and released later in the day.

In all, Stronach is facing 13 charges, with some alleged sexual offences dating back to 1977, according to his lawyer, Brian Greenspan.

"Mr. Stronach denies and will vigorously defend these further untested allegations," Greenspan said in a statement on Wednesday. "He has spent his lifetime committed to the betterment of the Canadian community and industry."

Peel police near Toronto first announced they had arrested and charged Stronach, 91, on June 7. They initially laid five charges in connection with alleged assaults against three women in Ontario between 1980 and 2023.

On Wednesday, Peel police Cst. Tyler Bell-Morena said the force's Special Victims Unit had "identified additional victims and additional charges have been laid," including sexual assault and attempted rape.

Investigators haven't said publicly where — or when — the new offences are alleged to have occurred.

An official at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton told CBC on Thursday the formal charge sheet, known as the information, was not yet available. The document typically contains details such as the approximate dates and locations of the alleged offences.

Stronach is scheduled to appear in court on July 8.

WATCH | Billionaire Frank Stronach faces more counts of sexual assault:

Billionaire Frank Stronach charged with 6 more counts of sexual assault

16 hours ago

Duration 2:15

Just weeks after his first arrest, Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach now faces eight new criminal charges, including six new counts of sexual assault. Police say they have identified more alleged victims as they investigate allegations dating as far back as the 1980s.

Greenspan previously said his client "categorically denies the allegations of impropriety which have been brought against him." The charges have not been proven in court.

Trevin David, a Toronto-based criminal defence lawyer not involved in the case, said the decades that have gone by since some of the alleged offences should not matter.

"There's no statue of limitations like you might see in other countries," David said in an interview. He said if a complainant comes forward about an offence decades ago, "that can still be prosecuted today."

Born in Austria, Stronach came to Canada in 1954 and later founded Aurora, Ont.-based auto parts giant Magna International. The company said in a statement that Stronach has had no affiliation with Magna since relinquishing control in 2010.

His daughter, Belinda Stronach, a former MP for Newmarket-Aurora, leads another multinational founded by her father, the Stronach Group. Also known as 1/ST, the company specializes in thoroughbred horse racing and betting. The Stronach Group said Frank Stronach has not been involved in the company's operations for several years.

In 2018, Frank Stronach founded Stronach International, a company focused on organic agriculture and zero-emission transportation.

Stronach is a member of the Order of Canada and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.