This summer camp kept an instructor who pleaded guilty to assaulting kids.
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who → keep → kids
Ontario law allows it
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law → allow → it
At a Kawartha Lakes camp, a cop who pleaded guilty to assaulting kids kept working there for weeks this summer
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who → plead → weeks
KL Hockey in Kawartha Lakes, which offers day and overnight programming for children in July and August, aims “to bring the best to campers everyday — on and off the ice,” its website reads.
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website → offer → ice
But for weeks this summer, one of its lead instructors was a man who recently pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting children.
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who → plead → 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.
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lawyer → plead → him
CBC News cannot provide further details due to a court publication ban.
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News → provide → ban
Gibbs is currently described on the camp’s website as “an active coach and mentor to many in the Kawartha Lakes region.”
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Gibbs → describe → 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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News → choose → story
Former Durham cop charged in 2nd historic sexual assault, several other charges dropped
Durham deputy chief retires after misconduct finding over 'racially inappropriate term'
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chief → charge → term
Camp leadership told parents in the email they have supported Gibbs as he dealt with a personal legal matter over the past year.
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he → tell → year
But they did not say whether they knew about the guilty pleas, or why he was allowed to stay on despite them.
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he → say → them
There is currently no Ontario legislation that requires summer camps to screen staff that work with children.
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that → be → children
Camps are not required to get criminal record checks or more extensive vulnerable sector checks from their employees.
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Camps → require → employees
The Ontario Camps Association (OCA) requires its 400-plus accredited members to vet staff with criminal record checks.
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Association → require → checks
But membership in the non-profit organization is voluntary, meaning summer camps that aren’t part of the OCA — including KL Hockey Camp — don’t have to meet any standards when it comes to vetting staff.
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it → mean → staff
The camp’s director Amanda Tayles said in a statement that Gibbs “has publicly taken accountability for his personal actions.”
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Gibbs → say → actions
“Our focus remains entirely on maintaining a safe, supportive, and positive environment for our summer camp players,” she wrote.
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she → remain → players
CBC News reached out to Gibbs for comment, but he did not respond before deadline.
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he → reach → deadline
He is expected to appear in court in September for sentencing.
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He → expect → sentencing
Gibbs is still employed at Durham Regional Police Services, where he’s currently redeployed from frontline patrol duties to an administrative role, a police spokesperson said.
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spokesperson → employ → role
Any potential internal disciplinary proceedings will be informed partly “by the outcome of the ongoing criminal matter, including the sentencing,” Const. Nicholas Gluckstein said in an email.
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Gluckstein → inform → email
‘Big gap’ in Ontario legislation for summer camps: lawyer
One of Gibbs’ victims, who is now an adult, spoke with CBC News before Gibbs announced his departure.
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Gibbs → speak → departure
“If I had sent my kid to [KL Hockey], I’d be really concerned,” said the victim, whose identity is protected under the court publication ban.
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identity → send → ban
They said Gibbs co-founded the camp with his friends and that camp leadership are aware of the guilty pleas.
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leadership → say → pleas
CBC News has asked the camp if leadership knew about Gibbs’ pleas, but they did not directly respond to the question.
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they → ask → question
The lack of legislated requirements for summer camps is a “big gap,” said Puneet Tiwari, an employment litigator and partner at Levitt LLP in Toronto.
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Tiwari → legislate → Toronto
He said the province should consider legislation that requires summer camps to get vulnerable sector checks from their employees.
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that → say → employees
Vulnerable sector checks are for people who intend to work with groups considered vulnerable, such as children.
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who → intend → children
According to the province’s website, they include the same information as a criminal record check, but may also have additional details on outstanding charges, arrest warrants, absolute and conditional discharges and information about charges that didn’t result in a conviction.
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that → accord → conviction
The Durham Regional Police Service website provides examples of who might require vulnerable sector checks, which include coaches and parent volunteers for sports or school trips.
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which → provide → sports
CBC News asked the Ministry of the Solicitor General whether the province would consider creating legislation that requires summer camps to get vulnerable sector checks from their employees, but did not receive a response.
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that → ask → response
The Ministry of Education does require “day camps” for children under four to get a child-care license and make their staff complete a vulnerable sector check, according to its website.
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staff → require → website
But camps for children over the age of four aren’t considered child-care centres, and don’t fall under the ministry’s scope.
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camps → consider → scope
The Ministry of Education declined to comment for this story.
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Ministry → decline → story
Still, Tiwari said it's common sense for camps to require vulnerable sector checks when they’ve been entrusted with children, regardless of the law.
“[Camps] bear the responsibility to screen, supervise and act on relevant information,” he said.
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he → say → information
KL Hockey ‘supported’ Gibbs through challenging period
In the email sent to parents on Wednesday, KL Hockey’s camp director Amanda Tayles wrote that Gibbs decided to step away from camp due to "recent attention" about a personal legal matter.
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Gibbs → support → matter
“KL Hockey is aware of Brad’s personal legal matter, which is unrelated to camp operations or his law enforcement duties, and has supported him through a difficult and challenging period in his personal life,” she wrote.
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she → support → life
The email doesn't say that Gibbs was criminally charged, or that he pleaded guilty to those charges in April.
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he → say → April
The same email includes a letter from Gibbs, where he writes that he’s taken full responsibility in court for a personal legal matter “and accepted accountability for my lapse in judgment.”
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he → include → judgment
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
