High-profile lawyer heads gymnastics coach probe

The same lawyer who investigated workplace harassment and bullying incidents involving Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley, is looking into the case of a coach recently suspended from Sarnia’s Bluewater Gymnastics Club. Lauren Bernardi with Bernardi Human Resource Law LLP has been conducting interviews on behalf of Gymnastics Canada, CEO Ian Moss said, after Elizabeth Brubaker was suspended from Gymnastics Canada, Gymnastics Ontario and the Sarnia not-forprofit club in January, amid multiple complaints.

The suspension stems from alleged violations from “a number of years ago” of Gymnastics Canada’s ethics and code of conduct policies. Complaints were made to the national and provincial bodies, and to the local club. The investigation started last week and is expected to finish in April, Moss said, in an emailed statement. Gymnastics Canada plans to review the report before deciding what will be made public, he said. Bernardi was selected as the most suitable to carry out the investigation, he said. She is interviewing Brubaker, the complainants, “as well as others who she may deem appropriate to interview based upon her findings and dialogue.” Brubaker’s husband David Brubaker — former director of the women’s national gymnastics team — meanwhile, has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation in connection with a now 31-year-old woman.

The alleged victim was between 12 and 20 when she was an elite athlete at Bluewater Gymnastics between 2000 and 2007. Justice Deborah Austin’s decision on David Brubaker’s case is expected Wednesday.