The Truth About Brookside Youth Detention: Ontario’s Dark Secret Exposed

Inside Brookside Detention Center, an abandoned detention facility and Ontario youth training school, with abuse history and a class action lawsuit. In this video, I take you inside one of the most controversial youth facilities ever built. Brookside operated for decades and held thousands of boys who later came forward with allegations of physical abuse, solitary confinement, psychological harm, and a system that failed to protect them.

I explored Brookside before the entire property was demolished in 2025. I walk through the school, the dorms, the pods, and the empty spaces that once held young offenders. Brookside was part of a larger network of provincial training schools, and the stories that came out of these institutions helped spark one of the largest class actions in Ontario history. The lawsuit continues to move toward resolution, with survivors seeking recognition, compensation, and accountability.

In this video, you will see what remains of Brookside, learn about its past, and hear why so many former residents fought to have their experiences acknowledged. This place is gone now, but the history and impact are still very real.

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Chapters:

00:00 - Intro
00:41 - About Brookside
02:40 - Segregation
04:30 - About Ontario's 18 Training Schools
05:05 - Former Training School Psychologist Speaks
08:50 - Inside one of the ranges
10:13 - Narration About the Class action Lawsuit
12:25 - Range Number Two
15:43 - More on the class action, and words from a lawyer
17:50 - Cafeteria
21:30 - The School
26:41 - Wrap up and victim interview