This summer camp kept an instructor who pleaded guilty to assaulting kids. Ontario law allows it
A summer camp in Ontario employed a lead instructor who had pleaded guilty to assaulting children, highlighting a lack of mandatory background check legislation in the province. Following the report, the Ontario government announced plans to make criminal record checks mandatory for such camps.
Why it matters
It exposes a significant regulatory gap in child safety and triggers immediate legislative reform to protect minors in extracurricular settings.
But for weeks this summer, one of its lead instructors was a man who recently pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting children.
Bradley Gibbs, who is a Durham Regional Police officer, pleaded guilty in April to two charges of assaulting children who were known to him, his lawyer confirmed. CBC News cannot provide further details due to a court publication ban.
Gibbs is currently described on the camp’s website as “an active coach and mentor to many in the Kawartha Lakes region.” However, he chose to step down on Wednesday afternoon, according to an email that was sent to the camp's parents one day after CBC News contacted Gibbs and the camp for this story.
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