Ontario says it will make criminal background checks mandatory for summer camps, after a CBC News investigation revealed a children's hockey camp instructor continued working with kids despite a guilty plea for assaulting children.
CBC News found that a lead instructor at the KL Hockey summer camp in Kawartha Lakes kept working with children until last week, even after pleading guilty in April to two counts of assaulting children known to him.
The instructor is Bradley Gibbs, a Durham Regional Police officer.
CBC reported that no active legislation required summer, day or overnight camps to screen their staff. The camp bears the responsibility to screen, supervise and act on relevant information.
The Ministry of Education would not say why such checks are not mandated across camps or whether safeguards exist, and the Ministry of the Solicitor General did not respond to questions about creating such legislation.
Durham Regional Police told CBC News that Gibbs has been redeployed from frontline patrol duties to an administrative role, and that it will determine whether he will face a disciplinary hearing after the outcome of his court case.
Gibbs is scheduled to be back in court for sentencing next month.
Following the report, the government said parents deserve to know their children are safe at summer camp and that employing a known criminal at a camp is unacceptable. The Premier's office said it will take the action necessary to make criminal background checks mandatory for summer camps.