Tim Hortons, sponsors put Hockey Canada on ice in wake of sexual assault lawsuit & More News Here

“Hockey Canada has communicated that it is committed to changing the culture of hockey to make it safer and more inclusive for all, on and off the ice. We have expressed strongly that we believe Canadians are urgently seeking concrete details from Hockey Canada about how it intends to do so,” the corporate mentioned in a press release to The Washington Post. “We will re-evaluate our sponsorship agreement once we have all the information we need to consider our options.”

The fallout stems from a 2018 incident in which a girl, now 24, alleged she was sexually assaulted by eight gamers after a Hockey Canada Foundation golf occasion in Ontario that June. That led to a prison investigation by police that was closed in 2019, Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith instructed Canadian lawmakers final month. A separate investigation was carried out by a regulation agency employed by Hockey Canada and ended in 2020, though former Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney mentioned that report is incomplete and shouldn’t be launched.

Hockey Canada has mentioned the lady selected to not converse to police or the group’s investigators, and that she didn’t determine the gamers. The allegations haven’t been confirmed in courtroom.

The girl sought $3.55 million in damages in a lawsuit filed in April, alleging she was assaulted by unnamed gamers. The following month, Hockey Canada settled for an undisclosed quantity.

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Earlier this month, Canadian Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge ordered an audit of the out-of-court settlement to make sure taxpayer cash wasn’t used to settle the case (Renney mentioned no authorities funds had been used). Smith and Renney had been questioned by lawmakers on June 20 in regards to the group’s response to these allegations. Two days later, St-Onge mentioned the federal government would freeze Hockey Canada’s federal funding, which accounts for six % of its whole funding, in line with the Associated Press.

The NHL, which discovered of the allegations final month, is conducting its personal investigation “to determine the underlying facts and, to the extent this may involve players who are now in the NHL, we will determine what action, if any, would be appropriate.”

Scotiabank chief govt Brian J. Porter mentioned in an open letter that the financial institution “made the decision to pause our sponsorship of Hockey Canada until we are confident the right steps are being taken to improve the culture within the sport — both on and off the ice.”

Telus, a wi-fi service supplier, mentioned it’ll proceed to help girls’s occasions regardless of its resolution to pause its actions with Hockey Canada.

“We are appalled by the recent reports of assault involving members of the 2018 World Junior Championship team,” it mentioned in a press release. “While we will continue to support upcoming women’s events and grassroots initiatives dedicated to supporting youth in hockey, TELUS is pausing its sponsorship activation with Hockey Canada and the upcoming World Juniors tournament. We will redirect those funds to Canadian organizations that support women affected by sexual violence.”