Hockey Alberta demands action from Hockey Canada
Hockey Alberta says it is taking its own steps to make the game safer in light of how its national body has handled sexual assault allegations.
“Allegations of maltreatment, regardless of where or when they occur in our sport, need to be investigated and adjudicated by individuals with specialized skills,” Hockey Alberta said on its website in an update to members.
CTV News Edmonton reached out to Hockey Alberta multiple times but the organization refused an on-camera interview or to answer any questions.
“We need a different image of what it is to be a man in hockey,” said Tim Skuce, an associate professor of Education at Brandon University who researches hockey culture.
“We found heteronormativity, misogyny, homophobia, stoicism. There’s a lot of these qualities that we don’t even talk about that are being cultivated, not always consciously, about who we are and how we have to behave on the ice,” he said.
This season, Hockey Alberta said it has brought in a Maltreatment Officer and four investigators to deal with potential incidents. It said it has also created an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee.
It believes a national framework to improve the overall hockey culture is needed.
“Hockey Alberta has requested that Hockey Canada take certain actions and provide answers by specific deadlines,” the organization wrote.
“We have outlined that a lack of action may lead to Hockey Alberta taking other actions which include, but are not limited to, withholding participant fees.”
The organization said it’s committed to working towards a better hockey system.
Skuce said it’s encouraging. “We can change how we perceive ourselves, and others, and hockey, and the culture of hockey.”
Hockey Canada faced more fallout this week with further sponsors cutting ties and growing calls for an overhaul to the organization’s leadership.
With files from CTV Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.