A 12-year-old boy is facing an assault charge over allegations he pushed an Asian-Canadian angler off a bridge.
The incident occurred on Friday at about 2:30 p.m. at Canal Lake near Bolsover, which is about 30 kilometres northwest of Lindsay in the Kawartha Lakes district, the OPP said in a news release issued Monday.
"The investigation revealed that a 46-year-old Asian Canadian male from Toronto, Ontario was fishing from a bridge located on Canal Lake when a male youth walked up behind the victim and pushed him off the bridge. The victim fell approximately five feet into the water below. The victim did not suffer any injuries," it said.
The youth is to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice on Sept. 22 in Lindsay.
No allegations against the youth have been proven in a court of law.
The issue of attacks on Asian anglers reached a head in 2007, with the Ontario Human Rights Commission releasing findings of a report in May 2008.
The report looked into at least 30 allegations of Asian fishermen either being pushed off bridges and docks or having their equipment damaged.
"The OPP and OPP Hate Crimes/Extremism Unit has been proactively working with police agencies, stakeholders and community groups to enhance awareness, reporting and investigation of these types of incidents," Monday's news release said.
"The OPP encourages anyone who has any information pertaining to this or other incidents to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous and does not subscribe to call display. You will not testify in court and you maybe eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000."
