Nancy Lescarbeau

Introduction

Nancy Lescarbeau is an Ottawa Catholic School Board teacher who was arrested and charged on October 7, 2026 with eight offences against a student, including sexual assault, sexual interference, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, and intimidation by threats of violence. Ottawa police say the charges date to 2021 and 2022, that an investigation began only weeks earlier, and that they are concerned there could be other victims. The board says Lescarbeau was immediately removed from the classroom once it learned of the situation from police.

Background Information

Lescarbeau, 52, taught within the Ottawa Catholic School Board, one of the largest English-language school boards in eastern Ontario. Police have not said at which school she taught, referring that question to the board, which declined to comment on individual employment information beyond what police publicly released. The allegations span 2021 and 2022 — earlier this decade — yet police began investigating only in September 2026, after receiving allegations the previous month.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, presumption of innocence. Lescarbeau faces eight criminal counts; the charges are allegations, none has been tested in court, and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Ottawa police announced on the morning of Wednesday, October 7, 2026 that Lescarbeau had been arrested and charged with eight offences: sexual assault, forcible confinement, intimidation by threats of violence, assault with a weapon, and sexual interference — the latter a charge that applies to alleged offences against children under 16. The charges span alleged crimes in 2021 and 2022. Police confirmed the arrest in an email to CBC News and said their investigation had begun the previous month.

In an emailed statement, the board said it became aware of “the situation” from Ottawa police and that Lescarbeau was “immediately removed from the classroom.” The board added that as an active police matter it was limited in what it could share, that the safety and well-being of students is its priority, and that it is “fully cooperating with the Ottawa police investigation” and will support anyone in its school community who needs it. Lescarbeau was scheduled to make her first court appearance the same day charges were announced.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The consequence landed immediately in employment terms: a serving teacher removed from the classroom within the board’s acknowledgment of the charges, on the day they became public. Police took the unusual step of appealing publicly for further victims, asking anyone with information to contact their Sexual Assault and Child Abuse unit or Crime Stoppers — a signal investigators believe the 2021-2022 allegations may not be the full record. The case circulated widely in Ottawa news the week it broke, with the board’s statement acknowledging that the news would concern students, families and staff.

Current Status

Lescarbeau has been charged with eight offences and made her first court appearance on October 7, 2026. The criminal case is active, police say the investigation is ongoing, and they have asked potential victims to come forward. The board has removed her from the classroom and has not commented on her employment status beyond that. No trial date or disposition appears in the public record, and the charge list — including forcible confinement and assault with a weapon — makes this one of the most serious student-abuse cases announced by Ottawa police this year.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A two-decade teaching career in Ontario’s Catholic school system is now suspended at the first step of a criminal prosecution, with eight counts on the docket and a public police appeal for more victims. The removal-from-classroom decision means Lescarbeau’s presence in an OCSB school ended the day the charges were announced, and any return is unthinkable while charges alleging sexual assault, sexual interference and confinement of a student are pending. The four-year gap between the alleged offences and the investigation — and police’s September 2026 starting point — suggests the case came to authorities only when someone finally spoke up.

Sources

• CBC News, “Ottawa Catholic school teacher charged with sexually assaulting student,” October 7, 2026 — source