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.
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.
Camp leadership told parents in the email they have supported Gibbs as he dealt with a personal legal matter over the past year. But they did not say whether they knew about the guilty pleas, or why he was allowed to stay on despite them.
There is currently no Ontario legislation that requires summer camps to screen staff that work with children. Camps are not required to get criminal record checks or more extensive vulnerable sector checks from their employees.
The Ontario Camps Association (OCA) requires its 400-plus accredited members to vet staff with criminal record 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.
The camp’s director Amanda Tayles said in a statement that Gibbs “has publicly taken accountability for his personal actions.”
“Our focus remains entirely on maintaining a safe, supportive, and positive environment for our summer camp players,” she wrote.
CBC News reached out to Gibbs for comment, but he did not respond before deadline. He is expected to appear in court in September for 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. 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.
‘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.
“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.
More Canadian families are simply finding it too expensive to send their kids to summer camps, as the affordability crisis drives up costs, prompting calls for governments to help with funding.
They said Gibbs co-founded the camp with his friends and that camp leadership are aware of the guilty pleas. CBC News has asked the camp if leadership knew about Gibbs’ pleas, but they did not directly respond to the 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.
He said the province should consider legislation that requires summer camps to get vulnerable sector checks from their employees.
Vulnerable sector checks are for people who intend to work with groups considered vulnerable, such as 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.
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.
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.
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. But camps for children over the age of four aren’t considered child-care centres, and don’t fall under the ministry’s scope.
The Ministry of Education declined to comment for this 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.
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.
“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.
The email doesn’t say that Gibbs was criminally charged, or that he pleaded guilty to those charges in 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.”
He said he made the decision to remove himself from all KL Hockey duties “out of respect for our players, families and the integrity of our summer camp.”
Gibbs wrote he was “deeply sorry to our community, our campers, our staff, our board, and the families who have placed their trust in me.”
“My focus right now is on continuing to take responsibility, learn from this experience, and rebuild that trust over time.”
KL Hockey’s Facebook account posted a video on Aug. 3, recapping its first week of activities, that shows Gibbs at a campsite. Two people who know Gibbs confirmed it was him.
Gibbs is also pictured on the camp’s “About Us” webpage. Several posts on his personal Facebook reference the camp, most recently from November 2024.
KL Hockey’s day programming runs out of the Lindsay Recreation Complex, which is owned by the City of Kawartha Lakes. The city doesn’t require camps that use its facilities to request criminal record checks or vulnerable sector checks from their staff, the director of community services, Jenn Johnson, said in an email.
The camp’s overnight accommodations are located at Camp Endobanah, a non-profit camp available for rent that’s also in Kawartha Lakes. CBC News asked Camp Endobanah about its vetting process for camps that rent its facilities, but did not hear back before deadline.
Parents advised to ask about camp staff vetting
It’s unclear what vetting standards KL Hockey has for its staff, since it is not a member of the OCA. The provincial camp association has a publicly-available document of over 600 standards for its members, reviewed annually.
Those standards include a mandatory requirement that camps obtain a criminal record check from each staff member over 18 before employing them.
Camps have discretion over how they use information from criminal record checks, said Rankin Middlebrook, who is on the OCA board of directors and former chair of its standards review committee.
He said individual camps should determine appropriate steps based on the information in a check and the surrounding context.
The OCA also has an optional standard that camps request criminal record checks once every three years from returning staff members.
Middlebrook said he doesn’t think camps have to be OCA-accredited to be a “good camp,” but accredited camps must follow a higher standard. He said parents can review the OCA standards document so they can make an informed decision when picking a camp for their children.
Meanwhile, Tiwari said parents should do their due diligence by inquiring how summer camps are vetting their staff. But he added parents are entitled to expect a “safe system” and aren’t expected to become private investigators.
If a camp chooses to keep a staff member despite concerns, Tiwari said parents’ options are limited, due to the lack of legislation in this area.
“There’s really nothing that can be done, other than parents demanding a refund or pulling their kids and speaking with their wallets,” he said.
