Hockey Canada says 2018 sexual assault investigation complete, report will be kept private – National
Canadian hockey said a third-party investigation into a 2018 allegation sexual assault of a woman involving members of that year’s world junior team is complete, but the report will be kept confidential.
A statement from the organization’s new board chairman Hugh Fraser said law firm Henein Hutchison LLP had submitted its report to an independent adjudication panel, which will determine “what punishment, if any, impose” on anyone involved in the alleged incident.
The trial process is also being kept under wraps, Fraser said.
“During this process, all information regarding the content of the investigator’s report, the adjudication process, and any appeals is kept in the strictest of secrecy,” he said.
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Fraser added the report’s findings are being kept confidential so as not to jeopardize the ongoing London, Ont., police investigation into the allegations. He said Hockey Canada and Henein Hutchison are cooperating with that investigation.
The board is “still being briefed” about the report’s findings, he added.
Court documents first reported by Globe and Mail on Sunday and confirmed by Global News reveal London police say they have “reasonable grounds” to believe A member of the 2018 world junior team is accused of sexually assaulting a woman after a Canadian Hockey gala in June 2018.
The dossier includes a 94-page information order to obtain (ITO) filed in the provincial court of Ontario on October 17, 2022. Although partially redacted, the ITO provides the most detailed information from the police about the status of their investigation, reopen early this yearon June 19, 2018, allegedly sexually assaulted a woman identified only by her initials EM
No charges have been filed and none of the allegations in the court documents have been proven.
Fraser said in his statement that he was “disturbed” by reading those details.
“On behalf of the newly elected Canadian Hockey Board of Trustees, I want to reassure Canadians that Hockey Canada is committed to pursuing an investigation and fully cooperating with the London Police Service,” he said.
Henein Hutchison was contacted by Hockey Canada a day after the alleged incident and began an independent investigation into EM’s claims that she was sexually assaulted by five players in a hotel room in London. London after the Canadian Hockey gala. The London Police also opened an initial investigation around that time.
Both investigations ended several months later with no charges or sanctions against any of the players allegedly involved.
After TSN revealed last May that Hockey Canada had quietly settled a lawsuit brought by the alleged victim, the organization’s top executives told the House of Commons standing committee. on Canadian heritage that players from the 2018 world youth team are not required to cooperate with investigators, and only a small number of team members were interviewed.
Hockey Canada then reopened the investigation in July, again signing Henein Hutchison and mandating that team’s players – many of whom have transitioned to NHL careers – to participate. . London police reopened their own case a few days later.
Danielle Robitaille, Henein Hutchison’s principal investigator in the case and partner in the company, told the Canadian estate commission in July that the original complainant made no statement in the previous investigation.
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Robitaille said the complainant has since issued a “detailed version of the events,” allowing investigators to interview nine more players who were present at the event and who declined to be interviewed in 2018. She said she interviewed 10 of the 19 players on the 2018 team that five.
Hockey Canada has faced reckoning over its overall handling of sexual assault cases involving players. The organization has revealed that it maintains a contingency fund, fueled by membership fees, which is used in part to address cases of sexual misconduct. Hockey Canada said the funds will no longer be used for that purpose.
Top sponsors including Tim Hortons, Canadian Tire, Scotiabank and Esso withdrew funding not only for the recent world youth tournaments but also for the entire 2022-23 season, demanding changes in the senior levels. organization’s best.
After months of pressure, the entire board of directors as well as chairman and chief executive officer Scott Smith resigned in October.
Fraser and a new board of directors were elected last weekend, and have promised to reshape the culture in the sport and stay transparent with Canadians about their progress.
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