Calgary bar owner charged with sexual assault of employee

Grant Lee Cichacki is shown in an undated photo. (Obtained by CTV News)

The owner of a downtown Calgary bar has been charged with the sexual assault of an employee last year.

Police say both were working at a restaurant and bar in the 1100 block of 17 Avenue S.W. at the time.

The employee attended a social function with her manager at a different downtown location on Dec. 27, 2022, before the assault took place.

"The victim was transported to a downtown residence where she reportedly lost consciousness, and investigators believe she was subjected to unwanted, non-consensual sexual acts," police said in a Thursday news release.

Grant Lee Cichacki, 42, of Calgary, is charged with one count of sexual assault and is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 5. 

Corporate registry documents show Cichacki is a co-owner of Watchman's Pub, located in the 1100 block of 17 Avenue S.W., as well as both Fiddler's Courtyard and Nixx Neighbourhood Pub on Edmonton Trail.

"I want to thank the victim for coming forward to police," said Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson of the Calgary Police Service sexual assault investigations unit.

"We know how difficult this can be, and the level of trauma that is associated with such offences.

In Canada, there is no time limit on reporting a sexual assault. Anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual assault is encouraged to report it, even if many years have passed since the incident.

"Sexual contact with a person is never acceptable without clear, voluntary and specific consent. It requires a conscious, operating mind, capable of granting, revoking or withholding consent," Hanson added.

Anyone with information on the Dec. 27 sexual assault is asked to call police at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be left anonymously through Crime Stoppers.