12-year-old boy charged with assault

Hate crimes cops are investigating the case of a 12-year-old boy accused of pushing a Toronto angler into the water in Kawartha Lakes, police said today.

A 46-year-old Asian Canadian man was fishing with his family from a bridge on Canal Lake when police say the boy came up from behind and pushed him into the water about five feet below Friday afternoon.

The boy was found by police nearby and charged with one count of assault.

He was released from custody pending a Sept. 22 court appearance in Lindsay.

But given the recent history of Asian anglers being pushed into the waters of Ontario, the case could have much deeper implications than a simple assault.

"Hate crime charges have not been laid, however, the matter is still under investigation," Ontario Provincial Police Const. Mark Boileau said this afternoon. "The Hate Crimes/Extremism Unit is assisting in this investigation, obviously, considering the motivating factors in regards to

the incident."

The Ontario Human Rights Commission dove into the issue over the last couple years after several similar incidents, many of them in York Region, came to light.

In a report released earlier this year, the Commission found that in "several disturbing incidents" in 2007, "Asian Canadians, or people fishing with Asian Canadians, appeared to be targeted, and a racist slur referring to Asian Canadians was associated with reports of assaults in some areas."

The report found a common complaint against — and misconception — of Asian Canadian anglers was that they over-fish, a claim for which the Commission found no evidence to support.

Cops in Kawartha Lakes have investigated five incidents of Asian Canadian anglers being pushed into the water since 2007, Boileau said.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, 12 is the youngest age a person can be charged with a criminal offence.

The 12-year-old charged Friday is the youngest of the accused arrested since 2007, Boileau said.