Pastor from Metro Vancouver church charged with sexually assaulting children

A pastor from a small church in B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been charged with sexual offences against children, authorities announced Monday.

Investigators from the New Westminster Police Department began investigating the pastor last spring after receiving multiple abuse allegations dating from 2017 to 2021.

The investigation led them to Edwin Alvarez, 45, who was arrested in Saanich on Jan. 4 with the help of the Saanich Police Department.

At a news conference, Sgt. Justine Thom of the NWPD encouraged any other potential victims to come forward and speak with police.

"This incident is deeply troubling for the victims, for the families, for the community and for us," said Thom.

"What I strongly recommend parents do is have open communication with your children. You need to have that dialogue for them to understand what is acceptable behaviour and what is not."

Authorities said Alvarez was working as a pastor in Metro Vancouver at the time of his alleged offences, but did not provide the name of his church. CTV News has learned the accused formerly worked with Llamada Final Vancouver, a church located in Burnaby.

Alvarez has been charged with three counts of sexual interference and three counts of sexual assault.

Under the Criminal Code, sexual interference is defined as touching someone under the age of 16 for a sexual purpose.

Police said they would not be providing any further information on the ages or genders of the alleged victims to protect their privacy.

Speaking generally, Thom said offenders in positions of power will work to gain the trust of victims and their families.

"They oftentimes will use those roles to manipulate people," Thom said. "And then when the opportunity arises, they abuse vulnerable children."

Sexual assault survivors from New Westminster who have difficulty speaking about their experience to family, friends or law enforcement can still seek support through the Emergency Sexual Assault Support Program at Cameray Child and Family Services, police said.