Hockey Canada accepts Cromwell report and promises to ‘regain Canadians’ confidence’ | CBC News

Hockey Canada says it accepts a former Supreme Court Justice’s report urging the organization to address a lack of transparency and oversight surrounding a controversial reserve fund used to tacitly settle uninsured liabilities — including allegations of sex assaults.

The hockey organization’s response comes a day after CBC News reported that the new report, commissioned by Hockey Canada, found its reserve fund needed.

However, the report, authored by retired Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell, also found serious flaws in the way the fund was managed. Cromwell concluded that there were no protocols or procedures for managing the fund, that detailed records of payouts were kept off the books, and that Hockey Canada violated disclosure rules by failing to notify members of large payouts.

“Hockey Canada is reviewing Mr. Cromwell’s recommendations with a view to implementing them as soon as possible,” Hockey Canada said in a media statement on Thursday.

The organization released a full copy of the interim report.

The organization commissioned Cromwell to review its governance structure in August, when politicians and sponsors called for Hockey Canada’s executive team to resign. Hockey parents were outraged to learn that the National Equity Fund — helped in part by player registration fees — was used to pay out a $3.5 million lawsuit settlement.

The plaintiff in that lawsuit alleged that eight ice hockey players — some of them members of the 2018 World Junior Hockey Team — sexually assaulted her.

Cromwell concluded that the National Equity Fund paid 21 settlements based on uninsured claims – 11 of which related to sexual misconduct.

CLOCK/ Hockey Canada’s use of funds to pay sexual assault claims flawed: report

Hockey Canada said Thursday there are “systemic issues” plaguing hockey in Canada. She urged provincial hockey associations, who will vote on the report’s recommendations, to “consider accepting them in their entirety.” The federations must approve any changes to the Hockey Canada bylaws.

“Hockey Canada has heard from many Canadians, including members, players, parents and corporate partners, that changes are needed to make hockey a safer environment for all participants,” Hockey Canada said in the media statement.

“We remain fully committed to making these changes necessary to regain Canadian confidence and address systemic issues in and around Canada’s game.”

Cromwell’s interim report found that Hockey Canada broke the rules by failing to disclose to its members six instances of settlements using its $500,000+ National Equity Fund since 1999.

The hockey organization also failed to post on its website or notify parents that $13.65 of each individual member’s annual insurance fee for Hockey Canada ended up in the National Equity Fund. This fund was set up to pay off uninsured or underinsured liabilities, Cromwell said.

“Participants, whose registration fees are the primary source of funding for the NEF, have not been adequately informed as to what proportion of the fees will be used to fund under- and uninsured claims,” ​​he said.

Cromwell concluded that the fund itself is a solid way to address the risk of uninsured and underinsured claims and the absence of one would be “a serious oversight”. Cromwell said he did not comment on specific cases, such as the use of the fund for sexual assault claims, because his mandate did not include an assessment of Hockey Canada’s response to a specific incident or issue.

However, Cromwell noted that there was a lack of adequate oversight of payments from the National Equity Fund because Hockey Canada does not have written policies for the fund. The fund also lacks sufficient transparency and all discussions about the fund were conducted in camera by the board without minutes of meetings being recorded, the report said.

CLOCK/ Hockey Canada’s CEO and entire Board of Directors are stepping down amid political and corporate pressure

Hockey Canada’s CEO and entire Board of Directors are stepping down amid political and corporate pressure

Oct. 11, 2022 – CBC’s Ashley Burke discusses recent Hockey Canada resignations and the political response. Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King speaks about how 3,300 homes in his province are still without power 18 days after Fiona’s strike. The Power Panel will also discuss Danielle Smith’s next steps after being sworn in as Alberta’s 19th Prime Minister today.

Hockey Canada also said it is asking provincial federations to adopt amendments to the organization’s bylaws that govern the nomination process for the new board. As a reaction to the increasing pressure from politics and companies, the entire board announced its resignation on Tuesday. Scott Smith, President and CEO of Hockey Canada, also resigned.

Cromwell evaluated the composition and diversity of Hockey Canada’s Board of Directors. His report found that only 25 percent of board members (two directors) are women. More than 60 percent of the directors are over 55 years old and none of them are fluent in bilingual French and English.

One board member has been identified as LGBTQ+, the report said. Seven out of eight had a significant hockey background, Cromwell found.

The report recommends amending the bylaws to allow no more than 60 percent of directors to be of the same sex, which would bring Hockey Canada into line with the federal government’s code of governance.

The recommended changes included increasing the board from 9 to 13 members due to their workloads. (Hockey Canada has confirmed that directors are volunteers who are paid for “a number of expenses, including meetings, meals and travel.”)

Cromwell said directors’ terms should be extended from two to three years and the chairman of the board should serve a six-year term instead of four. All nominations should also be reviewed by a nominations committee, which has the power to shortlist candidates, the report said.

The provincial hockey associations are meeting in Toronto Saturday to vote on a set of recommendations that include changing the bylaws ahead of a Dec. 17 election to elect a new board.

Cromwell recommended that all nominations be run through a nominations committee. He also called for better gender parity on the board and an increase in the number of board members from nine to 13.

The provincial associations are also expected to vote on a recommendation to extend the term of office of the board and its chairman.