A former West Vancouver Secondary counsellor jailed for possession of child pornography has been banned from teaching in B.C. for life.
Joseph Scott William McLeod – known as Joey McLeod to his students – pleaded guilty in North Vancouver provincial court in 2022 and was given a one-year jail sentence followed by two years of probation in 2023.
McLeod had been a teacher since 2006.
The RCMP’s child exploitation unit executed a search at his North Vancouver home in January 2021 after being alerted to content he was sharing by social media network Snapchat. They seized his phone and laptop, which had on them dozens of pictures and drawn cartoons, as well as one video, showing prepubescent boys ranging in age from six months to 13 years old, nude or being sexually abused. The judge in his case described the materials as “horrific.”
He was suspended at that time and later fired before moving to Ontario.
Under a decision by the B.C. commissioner for teacher regulation released this week, he is now banned for life from teaching in B.C. McLeod, who has signed off on the agreement, may never apply for or receive certification under the Teacher’s Act.
In determining that a lifetime ban was appropriate, the commissioner noted that “McLeod’s conduct was at the serious end of the spectrum,” and “[he] failed to act ethically and undermined the credibility of the teaching profession by violating laws that protect minors from sexual exploitation.”
McLeod has also been given sex offender designation for a period of 20 years.
[email protected]
twitter.com/brentrichter
brentrichter.bsky.social
Want to stay updated on North Vancouver and West Vancouver news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
