Hockey Canada's Entire Board Has Stepped Down To 'Make Room' Amid Sexual Assault Scandals

A new board will be elected in December.

A crowd at a Team Canada hockey game.

A crowd at a Team Canada hockey game.

Steve Kingsman | Dreamstime
Creator

After months of turmoil and revelations, the entire Hockey Canada board of directors has stepped down.

In the public statement, Hockey Canada has said that their CEO Scott Smith as well as every other current member of the board of directors is stepping down to "make room for a new slate of directors."

According to the release, "an interim management committee will be put in place" while the sports organization works to elect a new board "no later than [...] December 17, 2022."

This interim management committee will focus on "day-to-day operations and ensure progress on the implementation of Hockey Canada's Action Plan," the statement says.

This news comes after several high-profile scandals related to the company's handling of alleged sexual assaults that took place within the organization.

Hockey Canada's Entire Board Resigns Amid Sex Assault Scandals #shortswww.youtube.com

What is the Hockey Canada scandal?

This is just the latest update in a series of events that started earlier this year. In May, it was found by TSN that eight unidentified players on the 2018 Canadian World Juniors hockey team had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in 2018.

Reporters found out that Hockey Canada had paid an out-of-court settlement to the unnamed woman.

Since this revelation, a Canadian Press investigation found that Hockey Canada had a reserve fund – made partly of local hockey registration fees – that was used for uninsured liabilities, which included settling sexual assault allegations within the organization.

On top of the recent finding of the second fund of this nature, the organization also revealed in June that they've been notified of another alleged group sexual assault that took place during the World Juniors Tournament of 2003 in Halifax.

Each revelation has prompted strong words from top politicians in Canada, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying that the organization's behaviour "boggles the mind."

Additionally, several sponsors and stakeholders have cut ties with Hockey Canada according to The Athletic, with companies like Bauer and Tim Hortons, as well as Hockey Nova Scotia and Hockey Quebec named among them.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, call the Assaulted Women's Helpline at 1-866-863-0511. You can also contact support services for male survivors of sexual assault at 1-866-887-0015. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.


This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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  • Tristan Wheeler

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    Tristan Wheeler (he/him) was a Toronto-based Creator for Narcity Media. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2020 where he was the Blog & Opinion Editor at the campus publication, The Ubyssey, for two years. Since then, his work has appeared in publications such as Curiocity, Maclean's, POV Magazine, and The Capital Daily, delving into topics such as film, media criticism, food & drink, podcasting, and more.

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