Ontario premier urges parents to discipline boys linked to cadet leader assault
Premier Doug Ford suggested parents give their children a “little ass whooping” after two boys were accused of assaulting a Royal Canadian Air Cadets commander in Hamilton.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a news conference that the parents of two boys police say were involved in an assault on a Hamilton cadet leader should "give your kids a little ass whooping in the wood shed." The comments came a week after Hamilton Police charged a 12-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman with assaulting Capt. Kenneth Kunkel, the 59-year-old commanding officer of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, during a Remembrance Day poppy-distribution event.
Police reported that the boys blew an air horn at cadets, after which the officer confronted them at a nearby restaurant. A struggle ensued, and a woman identified as Estela Quintanilla intervened, assaulting the officer and causing him to fall. The 12-year-old is charged with aggravated assault and assault level one; the second boy was not arrested after video review. The woman faces aggravated assault charges.
Kunkel’s daughter, Kimberly Dietrich, told CBC that her father is unable to walk and that the family is taking the situation day by day. Hamilton mayor-elect Keanin Loomis said he is "deeply troubled" by the incident and expressed support for Kunkel, his family and the cadets.
Legal experts have warned that public officials commenting on ongoing cases risk influencing juries and spreading misinformation.