Ontario premier condemns assault on Air Cadets supervisor
Premier Doug Ford denounced the attack on Air Cadets supervisor Kenneth Kunkel, calling it disgusting and urging parents to discipline their children.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the assault on a Canadian Armed Forces member who was supervising Air Cadets in Hamilton was "absolutely disgusting" and urged the youth's parents to take stronger disciplinary action. The incident occurred on Nov. 1 when two youths approached cadets distributing poppies and used an air horn. The supervisor, identified as 59-year-old Kenneth Kunkel, followed the suspects into a nearby restaurant, where he was allegedly attacked by a woman and then struck repeatedly by a male youth before the assailants fled. Kunkel suffered severe injuries and, according to his son Christopher, has not regained the ability to walk.
Ford told reporters in Peterborough that the parents of the 12-year-old youth facing assault charges "should be ashamed" and suggested they "give your kids a little ass whooping in the woodshed". The 12-year-old was charged with assault, and a 48-year-old woman was charged with aggravated assault, though police have not released her identity. Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath have also condemned the attack.
"I hope the parents are listening. You should give your kids a little ass whooping in the woodshed as far as I am concerned," Ford said.
"A kid beating up cadets that are trying to serve our country? It is the most disgusting thing you could ever do," Ford added.
Kunkel’s son said his father was attempting to de-escalate the situation and that both the cadets and their supervisor deserved safety.