A man convicted of 16 charges involving sexual abuse of six underage victims is living at a halfway house in Brantford.

James Cooper, 78, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 1993 – at the time, the longest child abuse sentence in Canadian history.

His sentence was shortened to 21 years upon appeal, and the now-78-year-old reportedly moved to Brantford last week.

Cooper is under several restrictions from the Parole Board of Canada.

He cannot have any contact with his victims or their families, cannot be in the presence of underage girls unless accompanied by an adult who knows his history, and must take medication and follow psychiatric treatment.

But those restrictions aren’t enough for some Brantford residents, who say they don’t think he should be in town at all.

“It disgusts me. There’s children all over the place – there shouldn’t be a pedophile in this area,” Annette Gilbert, a mother of five, tells CTV News.

Gilbert’s view has plenty of support. An online petition to remove him from the city had nearly 1,900 signatures as of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and Brant MP Phil McColeman called Cooper’s presence in his city “shocking” in the House of Commons.

“This horrific case demonstrates the need for the Tougher Penalties for Child Offenders Act,” he said.

Brantford resident Sherry Mercer is of a different opinion, saying she hopes Cooper’s address never becomes public.

“Broadcasting it is only perpetuating crime. There will be people that go there and try to hurt them,” she says.

“As long as they’re being monitored by the proper authorities … that’s the important thing.”

Brantford Police tell CTV News they won’t comment specifically on Cooper’s case, but are aware of his presence in the city and are monitoring his activity along with Correctional Services Canada.

Attempts to reach Cooper for comment were unsuccessful.