Hockey Canada will no longer settle sexual assault claims with the money in its National Equity Fund, according to a report by The Athletic‘s Ian Mendes.
This news comes in the wake of reports earlier this week that Hockey Canada used its reserve fund to deal with “uninsured liabilities,” including “potential claims for historical sexual abuse.”
Mendes tweeted a statement from Hockey Canada on Wednesday, in which the governing body pledged to immediately stop using the National Equity Fund — which is supported by registration fees — to settle sexual assault claims.
“Instead, [the National Equity Fund] will be exclusively dedicated towards safety, wellness and equity initiatives, as well as insurance across our organization — activities which comprised 98 percent of its resources between 2014 and 2021,” Hockey Canada said in the statement.
“This includes counselling and treatment for players, concussion research grants to the Canadian Hockey League, criminal record checks of Hockey Canada staff, donations to Kids Help Phone, as well as a range of safety initiatives including insurance for players and additional support for players who sustain physical injuries,” the statement continued.
“Hockey Canada also commits that, going forward, all National Equity Fund proceeds from registration fees will be dedicated to these safety, wellness and equity initiatives, as well as insurance.”
Hockey Canada has come under fire in recent weeks for its handling of an alleged sexual assault in 2018 that involved eight Canadian junior hockey players in London, Ontario.
The governing body lost numerous high-profile sponsors and its funding from the Canadian federal government in the wake of revelations that it settled a lawsuit with the woman who alleged she had been assaulted after a Hockey Canada event celebrating members of the 2018 World Junior team.
Current and outgoing Hockey Canada executives have already appeared before investigative committees on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, with more interviews scheduled for next week.
Hockey Canada and the National Hockey League have already pledged to further investigate the alleged assault, with the London Police opening an additional internal investigation into the matter on Wednesday.
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