Penticton councillor guilty: ‘Used coach position to find boys for companionship’
2:07 pm Friday, September 18, 2026 Penticton City Coun. James Miller has been found guilty on several counts of sexual interference and one count of invitation to sexual touching concerning incidents that occurred in Ontario many years ago. Ontario Superior Court Justice Russell Raikes announced the verdict on Sept. 18 while Miller was present in Sarnia, where most of the offenses took place. Miller faced charges in two different cases involving three individuals with allegations going back to the 1990s when he was a coach for the Sarnia Mini-Colts basketball team in that Ontario community. The verdict from Raikes pertained to two complainants, while the third is awaiting a decision from a different Justice scheduled for Oct. 2. In front of a crowd of about twelve people, Miller remained expressionless as Raikes dismissed two charges related to the first complainant, B. B., but upheld five other charges against him with no reasonable doubt. The initial two charges concerned an alleged incident following a trip to Detroit for a baseball game. Raikes identified issues regarding whether the Crown had jurisdiction over where the crime happened and even if that trip actually occurred. “While I have concerns with Mr. Miller’s evidence generally, his evidence on this point raises a reasonable doubt,” stated Raikes. “I am uncertain that they ever attended a Tigers game. I do not conclude that the incident did not occur, nor do I need to make such a finding; rather, I have reasonable doubt whether it did.” The second charge involved an allegation that B. B. was touched by Miller during a sleepover. This was dismissed after doubts were raised about how far B. B. might go to harm Miller’s reputation through public campaigns in Alberta and British Columbia or by writing directly to Penticton’s Mayor about these allegations. “I wish to be clear, it is entirely understandable that a victim of sexual abuse may be angry and wish his or her abuser ill will,” noted Raikes. “In this case, however, [B. B.]’s actions to cause reputational harm to Mr. Miller raise a doubt as to how far he would go to achieve that end.” Regarding J. B., the second complainant, Raikes pointed out inconsistencies in both Miller’s testimony and those given by J. B. along with additional witnesses who were also former members of Miller’s team-enough not to create reasonable doubt. Raikes explicitly stated he rejected Miller’s claims denying taking boys into the sauna at his building or being naked around them at either the pool or gym while insisting they shower without clothes. “His evidence is inconsistent with the evidence of multiple credible and reliable witnesses. This evidence does not raise a reasonable doubt as to his sexual touching of J. B.” concluded Raikes. “I determine that Mr. Miller used his position as coach at Parkview to identify boys for companionship.” The Crown requested immediate revocation of Miller’s bail order and asked that he be held until sentencing due to his role within the community as city councillor and potential flight risk after conviction. Justice Raikes opted against revoking bail, noting that he had surrendered his passport, had no prior criminal record, and complied with all bail conditions set forth. Miller is scheduled back in Ontario on Nov. 19 for submissions from both Crown and defense regarding an appropriate sentence; Crown has indicated they will seek an extensive custodial sentence. Miller was arrested based on these historical charges in August 2024 and has been on paid leave from his position as city councillor since then. Although earlier reports from Okanagan Newspaper Group indicated he had been assigned administrative desk duty, at some point there was an update listing him (on leave) next to his contact details on ’s page. The Penticton Herald also doesn’t show his name or contact information anymore.Source link
