Ontario facility ordered to stop providing child care after police reveal sex offender lives on site

A facility west of Barrie providing services to children with autism has been ordered to stop offering child care after police said a convicted sexual offender is living at the same address.

A protection order was issued to the "Beating Odds" camp in Utopia, Ont. on Tuesday by a Ministry of Education director who determined "that there was an imminent risk to the safety and wellbeing of the children receiving care."

The order came a day after the Ontario Provincial Police notified residents in Simcoe County about a sexual offender residing in Essa Township in an unusual community safety advisory.

Police said 42-year-old Lauriston Maloney had been convicted of 16 charges related to trafficking and sexual offences involving minors. They added that Maloney lives at the same address as the camp and "has regular access to the facility."

"This information is being issued to the public as a precautionary measure," investigators from the OPP said in Monday's release, adding that Maloney presents a safety risk.

OPP said under the Police Services Act, they can notify the public regarding high-risk offenders "if the community's safety will be enhanced by the release of the offender's personal information."

"This advisory follows careful review of the offender as it relates to issues of public safety," police said.

Hunter Kell, the press secretary for the province's solicitor general, said in a statement that Maloney should never be around vulnerable children again.

"Allowing him to roam freely around our communities and potentially put more children in danger is a failing of our justice system," Kell said.

"Working with law enforcement we have served a protection order on this unlicensed facility prohibiting this individual from being on the premise while children in care are present and would encourage all parents to keep away from this facility."

The order will remain in effect until further notice.

Maloney denies connection to facility

The camp is operated by Maloney's wife, Amber. In a statement to CTV News Barrie on Tuesday, she insisted that her husband is not connected to the facility.

"Yes, we share the same property address, but he does not work with these kids. He has his own job that brings him off-site and allows me to operate solely without him," Amber said.

Speaking to CTV News, Maloney denied having any association with his wife's business. He said he doesn't have any interaction with children attending the camp.

"For every child, there is a supervisor who watches that child individually. It's one-to-one therapy. So, no, I have no interaction with the children," Maloney said.

He called the advisory issued by police "ridiculous."

"I'm not someone who targets children," Maloney said.

He is accusing police of trying to slander his and his wife's name. Maloney said he had paid for his past crimes.

"I have moved on with my life. I mean, this is not something that I let get the best of me. I was young. I was stupid," he said.

"So it's just ridiculous that this is how they are trying to proceed to make me look like a bad guy or make me look like some sort of predator."

The couple said they are seeking legal action to remove the advisory.

- With files from CTV News Barrie’s Kim Phillips