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	Popular Minister in Limbo after Launch of Civil Suit By Brennan Clarke Saanich News [Canada] March 14, 2007 http://www.saanichnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=28&cat=23&id=851555&more= In more than two decades of counselling street people trying to turn their lives around, Rev. Al Tysick has often used the phrase "try and take it one day at a time." These days, with a $1 million sexual abuse lawsuit hanging over his head, Tysick is trying to heed his own advice. "I am always telling the people I counsel to take it one day at a time. Now I have to try and live by that," he said. "It's like your life's on hold." Earlier this month, an Ontario woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing Tysick of sexually abusing her 17 years ago when he was a director at the Matilda Resource Centre, an outreach centre in eastern Ontario run by the United Church of Canada. The plaintiff, Jean Perkins, now 45, alleges that Tysick offered her counselling after she admitted being sexually abused while growing up. The claim says the counselling sessions escalated to sexual touching that continued over a two-year period, ending when Tysick became engaged to another woman. Tysick said he was unaware of the lawsuit until members of the local media called last week to follow-up on a report that first appeared in the Ottawa Sun. While Tysick flat-out denies the allegations – "It's false," he told Black Press on Monday – he has yet to receive a copy of the court documents that outline the specific allegations. "I've seen a lawyer just for some advice, but I'm at the point where I still haven't been served any papers," he said. Andrew Rafuse, a lawyer with the Windsor Law Group, said Ontario law allows plaintiffs in civil suits six months from the date of issue to serve a defendant with a writ of summons, although judges can and often do grant extensions. In B.C., the window to serve a defendant with civil litigation documents is one year. Once Tysick has received the documents, he has 21 days to file a statement of defence, Rafuse said. For legal reasons, Tysick declined to comment on Perkins specifically, except to say he remembers the name. "I can't say anything about the person, but I do remember her," he said. Tysick's efforts to help Victoria's street population have earned him national recognition. Last June, Time magazine named him a Canadian hero. Victoria police Insp. Les Sylven said Monday that the department, which works closely with Tysick on street-level addiction and poverty issues, has never had a complaint about him. "We have no information whatsoever that he has been involved in any criminal activity at all," Sylven said. Perkins' lawyer, Joseph Griffiths, did not respond to repeated calls from the News. However, in an interview with the Ottawa Sun newspaper, Griffiths admitted that his client has not gone to the police because the allegations might not stand up in a criminal court. Criminal trials require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while civil trials rely on the "balance of probability." Contact: bclarke@vicnews.com
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