Cape Breton chief monk filmed residents in shower: lawsuit

The operators of a Buddhist monastery in Shambhala, a Buddhist monastery in northern Cape Breton, are being charged after the discovery of a camera that filmed residents as they showered.

The Gampo Abbey Monastic Society, which owns an old monastery in Pleasant Bay, and Shambhala Canada Society are named in a lawsuit filed Thursday in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court on behalf of a former resident.

According to the claim, a man from Texas stayed at the monastery in November 2021 as part of his monastic ordination.

While showering, the man noticed a camera hanging on the wall, which he took out and brought to Gampo Abbey’s head monk Jack Hillie III.

“Mr. Hillie confessed that the camera belonged to him,” the police report says.

The man reported this to the Cheticamp RCMP detachment.

A USB stick attached to the camera contained several videos of both the complainant and other former residents using the shower.

Hillie was later arrested and is charged with criminal voyeurism.

Valent Law’s Basia Sowinski filed the lawsuit on behalf of the resident, urging other former residents of the monastery who had stayed there while Hillie III was head monk to contact her, as they may want to know if they were also videotaped and therefore want to join the lawsuit.

“Obviously there have been many residents of this monastery,” Sowinski said. “…Police found that many videos had been taken of residents taking a shower for a while.”

If you have any concerns, you can contact her at [email protected] or by calling 902-443-4488.