Quebec entertainer Eric Salvail ordered to stand trial on sexual assault charge

MONTREAL – A judge has ordered Quebec media star Eric Salvail to stand trial on three charges including sexual assault.

The decision was rendered on Tuesday by Quebec court Judge Pierre Labelle following Salvail’s preliminary hearing.

The 50-year-old also faces charges of harassment and unlawful confinement involving a single victim, Donald Duguay, now 46.

At Duguay’s request, the Crown asked that his name not be covered by the standard publication ban in sexual assault cases, which was agreed to by the court.

The allegations against Salvail, a former producer and talk show host, date from between April and November 1993.

Salvail has opted for trial by judge and jury.

The case returns to Quebec Superior Court on Nov. 4.

Once a major name in Quebec media, Salvail abruptly departed from the entertainment scene following allegations of sexual misconduct published by Montreal’s La Presse in 2017.

Salvail had his own TV production company, hosted a popular talk show on Groupe V Media and was a fixture on afternoon radio in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2019.