Grandview Training School for Girls
Grandview Training School for Girls, in Galt, Ontario, Canada, opened in 1933 and closed in 1976. It was the first provincially run reform school for girls aged 12 to 18 who were considered incorrigible or delinquent. Girls who were sent there became wards of the province, and parents gave up guardianship.
About 120 girls lived there each year, with around 30 kept in a secure area called Churchill House. Most girls were sent under the Juvenile Delinquents Act (1908) and the Training School Acts (1931, 1939). The school was meant to help working-class girls who were seen as likely to become criminals as adults. Many had minor offenses, but some were labeled “unmanageable” for reasons such as truancy, drug or alcohol use, or sexual immorality.
The campus had five brick buildings on 72 acres. After it closed, many former residents reported abuse by staff. These accusations became public in 1991 after two women spoke to a psychologist who connected their stories. Police began investigations, and in 1992 a Victim Witness Program started in Kitchener. A group called the Grandview Survivors Support Group formed to seek compensation. In 1999, Ontario’s Jim Flaherty apologized in the legislature on behalf of the government. This encouraged others to come forward about mistreatment at other training schools. The Grandview buildings were demolished in 2000.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:14 (CET).