Allegations of past sexual abuse by scout leaders are being investigated by Ontario Provincial Police, CBC News has learned.

Police say they received a letter from Scouts Canada two weeks ago detailing the allegations and requesting an investigation.

Scouts Canada has told the CBC that an independent review of its files uncovered abuse complaints.

Police won't comment on the status of the investigation or how many complainants may be involved.

The move follows an investigation by CBC’s The Fifth Estate into how Scouts Canada has dealt with past cases of sexual abuse.

On Thursday, CBC News reported that Scouts Canada's chief commissioner, Steve Kent, said he accepts that his organization didn't report every allegation of sexual abuse in past decades, contrary to previous claims.

Kent was responding to revelations from CBC News that it appeared several cases were not handed over to the police.

CBC first reported in October 2011 that Scouts Canada signed out-of-court confidentiality agreements with more than a dozen child sex-abuse victims in recent years.

In December 2011, Scouts Canada issued a blanket apology to former scouts who were sexually abused by leaders.

It also said at the time that Scouts Canada had 350 confidential files that were handed over, not to police, but to an accounting firm, KPMG, to do a forensic review.