B.C. teacher, caught in Creep Catchers-style sting, banned from teaching for 7 years
Published 4:00 pm Thursday, October 1, 2026
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A former Vancouver Island educator is barred from teaching for seven years, after he intended to meet up with a supposed 14-year-old, says the B.C. authority on teacher discipline.
According to a B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation consent resolution agreement, released Tuesday, Sept. 29, Carlo Deni Pavan was a Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools high school teacher on March 14, 2023, when he contacted someone on Grindr, an LGBTQ+ social media networking dating app.
In the initial conversation, the person, a man imitating someone 14 years of age, said he was looking to make friends with older gay guys, according to text messages included in the agreement.
Later in that conversation, after Pavan asked if the person liked guys his own age, to which the person responded, “Ya sometimes but I like older guys.” Later, Pavan asked “Do you just not tell anyone? Seems like something your family and friends would frown on… Or call the cops!” to which the person responded “Ya I don’t want any one to know I’m gay I keep it a secret.”
Pavan sent a picture, which disappeared, and when asked why he wouldn’t send another, Pavan replied “Too risky … There’s like vigilantes and cops. I dunno if you’re real.” Pavan also asked if there was “somewhere less sketchy” they could meet.
The two would continue engaging in small talk over the next few days, with the person telling Pavan he had met men on Grindr previously. “What’d you do with them when you met?” asked Pavan, with the person responding “Uhh stuff nothing too crazy.” Pavan responded saying “I’m just trying to figure out what you’re comfortable with/looking for,” and the person stated “Oh okay, what did you want to do?” and Pavan stating “I’m pretty open.”
Later in that exchange, Pavan sent a picture of himself, to which the person responded he liked Pavan’s beard.
On March 18, 2023, the two made plans to meet, at which time “the person approached Pavan while Pavan was sitting in his car. Once confronted, Pavan drove away while the person filmed him,” according to the agreement.
Footage of messages and video were posted to Facebook identifying Pavan. An investigation was initiated on March 20, 2023 and Pavan was fired by Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools on June 13, 2023. A consent resolution agreement was proposed to Pavan March 10, 2025 which came into effect Sept. 1.
Pavan’s teaching credentials were also suspended for three years on April 11, 2023.
In an e-mail, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools said it could not comment, as privacy legislation prevents it from speaking about matters related to human resources.
karl.yu@nanaimobulletin.com