Provincial officials say they will move to change Ontario's laws on screening staff who work with children at summer camps after reporting revealed a lead instructor at a Kawartha Lakes hockey camp had pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting children.
Camp leader pleaded guilty but remained on staff
For weeks this summer, a lead instructor at KL Hockey in Kawartha Lakes continued in a prominent role at the camp despite having pleaded guilty in April to two charges of assaulting children known to him, CBC reporting shows. The instructor, identified by CBC as Bradley Gibbs, is also a Durham Regional Police officer, and his lawyer confirmed the guilty pleas. Court-imposed publication restrictions prevent further public disclosure of details about the offences.
KL Hockey's public materials describe the program as aiming
"to bring the best to campers everyday — on and off the ice."
After CBC contacted Gibbs and the camp, camp leadership informed parents that Gibbs had stepped down on the Wednesday afternoon following the inquiry. In its correspondence to families, the camp said it had supported the instructor as he dealt with a personal legal matter over the past year, but did not say whether it had known about the guilty pleas or explain why he had been permitted to remain on staff.
Regulatory gap that allowed it
Under current provincial rules, summer camps in Ontario are not required to obtain criminal record checks or vulnerable sector checks for staff, according to CBC. That regulatory gap means a person can be employed at a camp without legal obligations on employers to get the more detailed screening that vulnerable populations, including children, typically rely on.
Following CBC’s reporting, the provincial government said it is working to change the law so camps will be required to screen staff who work with children.
Timeline
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Instructor pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting children | April (2026) |
| Instructor remained on staff at KL Hockey | Weeks during summer 2026 |
| CBC contacted camp and instructor; instructor stepped down | Day after CBC inquiry (August 2026) |
| Ontario government said it would change the law | After CBC report (August 2026) |
What this means for parents and camps
The episode has renewed calls from some parents and advocacy groups for clearer, mandatory screening standards for anyone working directly with children. Until the law changes, responsibility for conducting criminal record checks — and deciding whether to obtain the more detailed vulnerable sector screening — rests with individual camp operators.
From a practical perspective, vulnerable sector checks are more comprehensive than standard criminal record checks because they can reveal pardoned or suspended records in cases involving sexual or other vulnerable-person offences, subject to strict legal criteria. The lack of a statutory requirement for such checks at summer camps created the legal space that allowed the KL Hockey instructor to remain in a supervisory role despite the guilty pleas.
Officials and disclosure limits
Court publication bans in this file limit the amount of public information that can be released about the offences, and CBC has said it cannot provide further details for that reason. The camp’s statement to parents acknowledged a "personal legal matter" but did not offer more specifics.
When asked about prospective reforms prior to the CBC story, a ministry spokesperson had not provided a response, according to the reporting. After the story was published, the provincial government said it would act to tighten screening rules.
Local context and next steps
In Kawartha Lakes and across Ontario, summer camps range from small day programs run by neighbourhood organisations to large overnight camps with extensive staff rosters. The pending change in provincial law will aim to create a uniform baseline for screening; until regulations and timelines are released, camp operators and parents will face a period of uncertainty.
- Key fact: Summer camps in Ontario are not currently required by law to obtain vulnerable sector checks for staff.
- Immediate outcome: The instructor stepped down after media inquiries.
- Provincial response: Government says it will change the law to require screening.
As the provincial government outlines exactly how and when screening requirements will be implemented, parents and camp operators should watch for official guidance and consider voluntary adoption of enhanced background checks in the interim. I will continue to track the government's regulatory response as details become available from Queen’s Park and from local camp operators in Kawartha Lakes.
