‘Unethical’ or ‘illegal’ conduct at world juniors could trigger repayment to New Brunswick | 24CA News

New Brunswick will spend $1.25 million to co-host the 2023 world junior males’s hockey championship, which begins in Moncton and Halifax on Dec. 26.

But Hockey Canada might must repay a few of that cash if any Hockey Canada representatives concerned with the occasion are discovered to have engaged in “unethical” or “illegal” conduct earlier than the event ends on Jan. 5.

That’s in keeping with a contract the New Brunswick authorities signed earlier this month with Hockey Canada, a corporation that is been underneath hearth for months for the way in which it is dealt with allegations of sexual assault.

Earlier this 12 months, high Hockey Canada executives informed a House of Commons committee that the group has paid out $8.9 million in sexual abuse settlements since 1989.

Two separate police investigations are underway involving members of two separate Canadian world junior groups. 

Halifax Regional Police are investigating allegations that some members of the 2003 workforce have been concerned in a gaggle sexual assault throughout that event, which was held in Halifax.

And this previous summer season, the London Police Service reopened its investigation into allegations that some members of the 2018 world junior workforce have been concerned in a sexual assault after a Hockey Canada gala and golf event. Hockey Canada’s investigation into the allegations is full, whereas police in London say its investigation stays “open and active.”

The New Brunswick contract says all representatives of Hockey Canada who’re concerned with the 2023 event “must be of good character and must not indulge in unethical conduct, illegal conduct, or acts, or permit unethical conduct, illegal conduct, or acts by anyone under its jurisdiction … that might reasonably be interpreted as tarnishing the reputation of [the Regional Development Corporation] or the Government of New Brunswick.” 

The contract, drafted by the province’s Regional Development Corporation, says the federal government can “demand that all of the unused portion of the funding be reimbursed” if unethical or unlawful conduct happens.

It would not outline what the federal government considers to be good character or unethical conduct.

Training obligatory

The contract additionally requires Hockey Canada individuals, together with employees, volunteers, athletes and coaches, to take “mandatory sexual violence and consent training” and for the group to assign a “special event team lead” who will probably be chargeable for ensuring the coaching is accomplished and “for supervision of players, coaches and staff for the duration of the tournament.”

“What we wanted to see and what our intention is in that contract is that everyone involved with Team Canada, from coaches to players to volunteers, that everyone undergoes this enhanced sexual violence training,” mentioned Tammy Scott-Wallace, the minister chargeable for each tourism and ladies’s equality in New Brunswick.

“And in that training, [it] very much spells out good behaviour, acceptable behaviour, what respect means, what no means, and general good character.”

Scott-Wallace mentioned the province was excited to host the event, however quickly after Moncton and Halifax have been named co-hosts, “the news was incredibly unpleasant around the world juniors and Hockey Canada.”

She mentioned she by no means felt New Brunswick mustn’t host the event however as a substitute sees it as a possibility to ship a message about sexual violence.

“I just want there to be no misunderstanding,” Scott-Wallace mentioned. “There is no excuse and there is no exception when it comes to inappropriate behaviour towards women, and that is really the message I hope that they hear.”

The province has additionally launched a sexual violence public training marketing campaign to coincide with the event. One advert shared with CBC News, designed to be distributed on platforms equivalent to TikTok, says, “The only place for a power play is on the ice.” It goes on to say that sexual violence is rarely OK, “no matter what team you play on.”

“If we were going to host and welcome the world to our province and most certainly showcase the very best that we have to offer, we really had to be very honest as well about not hiding the reality of the situation happening, and to really take an opportunity to send a message that I felt was very, very important,” Scott-Wallace mentioned.

‘Good character’ clause uncommon, professor says 

Richard McLaren teaches regulation at Western University in Ontario and is an professional in protected sport in Canada.

He mentioned a clause requiring “good character” is uncommon for a funding contract.

“Normally a funder would expect the sport to carry on its standard programs, which would cover all of those topics and therefore there would be no need to put it in the funding contract,” the lawyer mentioned.

“But because they’re concerned about spillover effect and tarnishing their own reputation, they’ve put in these clauses, but the clauses are very wide sweeping in terms of obligations of Hockey Canada.”

The “good character” clause doesn’t seem within the settlement Hockey Canada signed with Edmonton to host final 12 months’s event, which was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

It additionally would not seem in copies of contracts signed by the City of Moncton, which is able to spend $750,000 as a co-host of the 2023 occasion, or the Nova Scotia authorities, which is placing in $2 million.

The Halifax Regional Municipality, which is able to spend $1 million, didn’t present a duplicate of its contract to CBC.

Moshe Lander, a sports activities economist at Concordia University, sees the requirement for “good character” as ticking a field greater than a step towards prevention.

“[It’s] to cover themselves,” Lander mentioned, referring to the New Brunswick authorities. “It’s purely to say that if something goes wrong, they could say, ‘Well, we insisted that there should be good people coming here.'”

In a press release, Hockey Canada says all of its gamers, coaches and employees handed what it described as an “enhanced character screening process,” signed off on two codes of conduct and accomplished the sexual violence and consent coaching previous to its choice camp.

Every workforce within the event will even have to finish “additional ethics training with the International Ice Hockey Federation.”

Security on the occasion will embrace “enhanced team rules and increased supervision of players, coaches and staff,” together with a “comprehensive off-ice supervision plan” and “a zero-tolerance policy for acts of harassment, discrimination, racism and sexual violence,” the group says.