Categories: Need to know

Church of Scientology builds new headquarters in Ontario

New facility will serve as a retreat for church members

by macleans.ca on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 2:32pm - 17 Comments

The Church of Scientology is planning to build its national headquarters in a former resort near Orangeville, just outside of Toronto. The church is planning a significant overhaul of the Hockley Highlands Inn and Conference Centre in Mono, which sits on more than 80 hectares of land and will allow Scientologists to establish a campus with five buildings totaling 160,000 square feet. “All told, it’s exactly what is required to assist Canadian Scientologists through the ultimate frontier at the top of the bridge to total freedom,” says the narrator in a promotional online video. But Adam Holland, a former member of the church says the isolated location of the site will make it difficult for people to leave the church of their own free will, and plans to “educate local residents to be ready to help out anyone who does escape.” Holland says that Scientology officials “did everything within the threshold of the law” to prevent him from leaving after volunteering at the church’s Toronto centre for two years. Church officials denied Holland’s claim and say that anyone is free to leave.

Toronto Star

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  • Guest

    Scientology, the only "religion" that has been convicted of a crime in Canada!

    • Monsure

      What about 100 Huntley!? What about the tens of thousands of catlick pedophiles. What about ever police force in kanada! "
      'The lawyer for an Ottawa police officer says a sexual assault charge against his client in connection with a cellblock strip search should concern every police officer in the province"
      You would see less violence in a week of watching Egyptian riots! Kanada smells, BAD! BUT, we are bilingual!

      • truenorth

        I am not prone to head aches…but after reading this post, for some reason I have a blinding head ''hurt ''….sigh .

  • Guest

    This lawsuit is an example of what appears to go on at their other compounds:
    http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/daniel…

    Also, Google "Lisa McPherson" for more examples of why "Scientology" and "isolation" are a dangerous combo.

  • V10

    A quick Google and Youtube (clips from investigative TV) search of the terms…
    – Time Magazine (“The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power”)
    – Disconnection
    – Suppressive persons
    – Lisa McPherson
    – Operation Snow White
    – Operation Freakout / Paulette Cooper
    – Rehabilitation Project Force (and child labour)
    …in relation to Scientology will return a wealth of links. If your only familiarity with Scientology is that it’s some kind of kooky celebrity UFO cult, I urge you to dig a little. It’s a fascinating read, at the very least.

    And to head off the apologists: freedom of personal belief does not preclude public scrutiny, particularly when other people are hurt while practicing your beliefs. Demanding investigation into, for example, child sex abuse by the Catholic Church, is not religious bigotry.

  • JustinWordswrth

    "This so-called new religion is nothing but a pack of weird rituals and chants designed to take away the money of fools. Now let us say the lord's prayer 40 times, but first let's pass the collection plate."

    • snaardvark

      na na na na na na na na "Leader!"

  • nothereyoudont

    Scientology is more dangerous than you could imagine. Ask yourself, why is the razor wire surrounding their California headquarters facing in?

  • Ben

    We need more oversight of cults like this — or go like France and ban them.

  • Greg in Cambridge

    Great! More wacko’s living here. Maybe McGuinty will visit and stay there.

    • OriginalEmily1

      How is it different from your religion?

  • Philanthropist

    They're not strapping bombs to their children and sending them into restaurants to kill people they hate, so if left-wingers can defend those practices, where are all the left-wingers defending the Scientologists?

  • L. Ron Hubbard Jr.

    Their methods haven't changed since L. Ron Hubbard started this years ago
    if you haven't read the interview with his son L. Ron Hubbard Jr. in 1983 here it is
    http://www.rickross.com/reference/scientology/sci…

  • Monsure

    God, imagine, the person next to you could be a scientologist, a mormon, J witless, catlick, or any number of weirdos. What a benefit a good dose of realityradium would be. Who would miss el wacos!

  • madeyoulook

    Let's expropriate the adjoining land and build The Dufferin County Centre for Excellence in Inpatient and Outpatient Mental Health Services right next door. They'll get on just swimmingly as neighbours, don't you think?

  • truenorth

    Speaking of neighbours…I wonder what the local residents think about this venture ?

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