A 55-year-old man who recently completed a full 20-year sentence for multiple rapes in Toronto in the 1980s will be soon be moving out of an apartment near the McGill Ghetto.
It's not clear, however, where Michael Giroux will be moving.
Giroux (shown above in a 1990s file photo)Â terrorized a west-end Toronto neighborhood in the 1980s as the 'High Park Rapist'. He would follow women and break into their homes, tie them up and blindfold them, and then sexually assault them. His victims ranged in age from 23 to 42.
In 1996, he was convicted on five of the assaults, as well as a number of other crimes, and was handed a 20-year sentence.
He was repeatedly turned down for early release, because parole officials considered him at a significant risk "to commit an offence causing death or serious harm to another person." In addition, he would repeatedly resist attempts at treatment for sexual deviance behind bars.
On Thursday, word went out that Giroux had taken an apartment in a four-story building not far from McGill University. CTV News has learned that he will be moving on Friday, though his new address is not known.
Authorities in Canada aren't obligated to inform people if a convicted sex offender moves into their neighborhood — a sore subject for many people.
"It's a valid question, it's been debated already," says CJAD 800's legal expert Chris Dimakos. "But this is a question for the politicians. It's up to them to legislate the rules and how we address these issues."
Soon upon his release last year, Giroux agreed to a two-year peace bond. Among the conditions: he must remain at home between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., he needs to inform the court of his address, and needs permission to leave Quebec. He also can't use the Internet unless it's for work; he cannot possess pornography or weapons, use alcohol or drugs, go to bars, consort with prostitutes, and must stay 500 metres away from his victims.