A former teacher, Graham Christopher Bowering, from North Vancouver’s Ross Road Elementary School has been permanently barred from teaching following his conviction for possessing child pornography last year.

The Teacher Regulation Branch imposed the ban on Bowering, 53, citing his failure to uphold ethical standards and his violation of laws aimed at safeguarding children from sexual exploitation. Bowering’s actions were deemed to have undermined the integrity of the teaching profession.

Bowering was charged with possession of child pornography in April 2021. The investigation into him began in August 2020 after Sunshine Coast RCMP received a report from an Internet service provider regarding suspicious activity.

On February 28, 2021, RCMP officers executed a search warrant at Bowering’s residence in Gibsons, where they confiscated videos, images, and written materials consistent with child pornography.

Despite the ongoing investigation, Bowering continued teaching until the commencement of spring break on March 12, 2021, without disclosing the search to the school authorities. He was subsequently arrested on March 15, 2021, and took a leave of absence from the North Vancouver school district on March 29 of the same year.

Almost eleven months later, on February 2, 2022, Bowering pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography between 2014 and 2021. Following his guilty plea, he was terminated from his position by the school district.

On January 31, 2023, Bowering received a 10-month conditional sentence followed by two years’ probation. The conditions of his sentence included prohibitions on being alone with individuals under the age of 16, the submission of a DNA sample, and enrollment in the national sex offender registry.

Commissioner Ana Mohammed, in justifying the decision for a lifetime teaching ban, highlighted the severity of Bowering’s offences, stating they were at the “serious end of the spectrum.”