Report: Woman who filed sexual assault lawsuit will participate in reopened Hockey Canada investigation

Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault.

The woman who filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada alleging she was sexually assaulted by Canadian national junior hockey team members in June 2018 will participate in the governing body’s reopened investigation into the matter, according to a report by Sportsnet’s Paul D. Grant.

While the woman did not previously participate in investigations led by Hockey Canada or municipal police in London, Ontario, where the alleged assault took place, her attorney confirmed to Sportsnet on Thursday that his client “will be participating in the Hockey Canada investigation.”

Earlier on Thursday, Hockey Canada published what it called “an open letter to Canadians” listing steps it says it will take “to address the behaviors, on and off the ice, that conflict with what Canadians want hockey to be, and which undermine the many good things that the game brings to our country.”

Hockey Canada’s open letter comes after many of its most influential sponsors, including Scotiabank, Telus, Tim Hortons, and Canadian Tire, retracted their support of upcoming tournaments amid demands for systemic change within the major hockey governing body.

The Canadian federal government also said it will freeze all funding to Hockey Canada signs up with a federal agency that can independently investigate abuse complaints and issue sanctions, as well as become a full signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).