Sex offense accusations against Frank Stronach come from 10 alleged victims: source

New criminal charges announced this week against billionaire businessman Frank Stronach stem from incidents involving seven other alleged victims in Ontario, according to a source familiar with the matter. 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 custody by Peel Regional Police on Wednesday and released later that day.

In total, Stronach faces 13 charges, including alleged sexual offenses dating back to 1977, according to his lawyer, Brian Greenspan.

“Mr. Stronach denies and will vigorously defend these new, unverified allegations,” Greenspan said in a statement Wednesday. “He spent his life committed to the betterment of the Canadian community and industry.”

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

Wednesday, Peel Police Const. 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 have not publicly revealed where – or when – the new offenses allegedly took place.

A representative from the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton told CBC on Thursday that the formal indictment, known as a “disclosure document,” was not yet available. The document usually contains details such as dates and approximate locations of the alleged offenses.

Stronach is due in court July 8.

Greenspan previously said his client “categorically denies the allegations of impropriety that have been made against him.” The accusations have not been proven in court.

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

“There is no statue of limitations like you see in other countries,” David said in an interview. He added that if a complainant reports an offense that occurred decades ago, “they can still be prosecuted today.”

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

His daughter, Belinda Stronach, former MP for Newmarket-Aurora, runs 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 had not been involved in the company's operations for several years.

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

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