Hockey Canada executives told a House of Commons committee Wednesday that nine complainants alleging sexual abuse have received $7.6 million in settlements since 1989 from a dedicated fund maintained in part by membership fees.
Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith told the standing committee on Canadian Heritage that he will not resign from his position. He told MPs he’s capable of creating change within the embattled organization.
Hockey Canada chief financial officer Brian Cairo told the committee that of the $7.6 million, $6.8 million was for settlements related to Graham James, a former junior hockey coach convicted of sexually assaulting young hockey players.
Cairo said the fund is generated by Hockey Canada membership fees and investments.
Hockey Canada says it has paid out 9 settlement payments from the National Equity Fund totalling $7.6 million. The fund is made up in part by membership fees.
Both Cairo and Smith defended the existence of the fund, saying it’s necessary because the organization’s insurance won’t cover all types of claims. Cairo cited the James case as an example.
“The insurance companies were not going to insure us for those types of instances,” Cairo told the committee.
But Cairo later said Hockey Canada settled an additional 12 sexual misconduct claims during the same time period with $1.3 million paid through insurance.
“We haven’t used money to protect our image. We’ve used money to respond [to] and support victims … so we’ve used money to support families,” Smith said.
Hockey Canada President Scott Smith: “We haven’t used money to protect our image.” (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Hockey Canada announced earlier this month that it will no longer use the fund to settle sexual assault claims.
In May 2022, Hockey Canada settled a lawsuit seeking $3.55 million. The lawsuit was filed in April by a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by eight former CHL players after a Hockey Canada Foundation event in London, Ont., in June 2018.
The allegations have not been proven in court. The identities of the players allegedly involved and the alleged victim are not publicly known. The terms of the settlement, including how much Hockey Canada paid the complainant, are not public.
Barry Lorenzetti, CEO of Hockey Canada’s insurance broker BFL Canada, told the committee that Hockey Canada’s insurer for sexual misconduct claims, AIG Canada, agreed to let the organization settle the case using money from the fund.
But Cairo told the committee earlier that Hockey Canada now intends to recover the money it spent in the settlement from AIG.
Lorenzetti said that was news to him.
“The subject, to my recollection or to my knowledge, never came up as to whether [AIG] would reopen the claim down the road if Hockey Canada sought from them compensation or indemnification,” Lorenzetti told the committee.
WATCH | Hockey Canada CEO says he’s ‘prepared to face the consequences’ after second day of hearings
Hockey Canada CEO says he’s ‘prepared to face the consequences’ after second day of hearings
9 hours ago
Duration 1:06
Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith says that although he believes he’s the ‘right person to get Hockey Canada to the right place,’ he’s open to resigning and a governance review.
Lorenzetti said that, based on his experience in the insurance industry, the existence of Hockey Canada’s fund for settling claims is not unusual.
“We deal with thousands and thousands and thousands of clients right across Canada and internationally. It is not uncommon … for a corporation to have a reserve fund or a fund for uninsured losses or claims that aren’t recoverable,” he said.
“I think it’s prudent risk management and prudent practice.”
Hockey Canada hired an independent investigator, Henein Hutchison LLP, after it learned of the alleged assault. Police in London, Ont., launched a criminal investigation shortly after. At the committee Wednesday, the Hockey Canada executives said the firm was paid between $280,000 and $287,000 out of the National Equity Fund.
Members of Hockey Canada’s leadership, including Smith, are facing multiple calls to resign and let a new team bring in changes to the organization and the sport.
Several MPs at committee expressed dissatisfaction with Smith’s leadership. Conservative MP John Nater asked him if he’d quit.
“For the good of hockey, for the good of the countless volunteers across this country, the good work countless blameless people are doing in the sport of hockey, I strongly believe there needs to be new leadership within Hockey Canada,” Nater said.
WATCH | MP John Nater questions Hockey Canada CEO during second day of committee hearings
MP John Nater questions Hockey Canada CEO during second day of committee hearings
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Duration 1:07
Nater asked Hockey Canada’s CEO Scott Smith if he would agree to step down as his organization confronts allegations of sexual misconduct. Smith said he would step down if the board of directors decides his leadership is no longer needed.
“Will you do that? Will you step down for new leadership to take over?”
Smith said in response that he has no plans to resign.
“I’m prepared to take on this responsibility, for change within our game, I believe I’ve got the experience to do it,” he told the committee.
Smith said he’s prepared to step down if Hockey Canada’s board or a governance review team decides he’s not up to the task. He also apologized for how the organization initially responded to the 2018 case of alleged sexual assault.
“We should have done more, and could have done more, and could have done things quicker. And so I apologize for that,” Smith said.
Bloc Quebecois MP Sébastien Lemire and NDP MP Peter Julian also voiced doubts about Smith’s ability to lead Hockey Canada going forward.
“The Canadian public has lost confidence in Hockey Canada. Of that there is no doubt,” Julian said.
“I find this hearing today is really the last opportunity for Hockey Canada to establish some credibility.”
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather commended Hockey Canada’s efforts to change but said they’re too little and too late.
“I don’t think in any way they go far enough … there needs to be a bigger cultural change in Hockey Canada than you’re currently promising today,” he said.
“There’s times that good people have to step aside because the public has lost confidence in them, and I’m afraid this might be one of these times.”
Nater, Richard Martel and Karen Vecchi, three Conservative MPs on the committee, said in a media statement following the hearing that Hockey Canada is a “secretive and unaccountable organization.”
“It is clear that Hockey Canada sweeps cases under the rug and moves on,” the statement reads.
“Senior management within the organization has not shown Canadians that they are capable of taking the necessary actions to hold perpetrators accountable and prevent acts of sexual violence from occurring in the future. This has to change.”
Leagues say sexual misconduct cases not reported to Hockey Canada
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) commissioner David Branch, Western Hockey League (WHL) commissioner Ron Robison and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) commissioner Gilles Courteau told the committee that while they were aware of a number of sexual misconduct complaints involving players in their leagues over the last five years, they did not inform Hockey Canada about them.
QMJHL Commissioner Gilles Courteau appears as a witness before the standing committee on Canadian Heritage in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 27, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Courteau said the QMJHL has suspended two players over sexual misconduct complaints in the last five years.
Branch said there was one complaint of sexual misconduct directed at an OHL player in the same time period. That player was suspended, he said, and required to participate in educational programs as a condition of reinstatement.
Robison said the WHL has dealt with two reports of sexual misconduct over the last five years. He said police investigated both cases and the players involved were suspended from the league.
All commissioners testified that they did not report the cases to Hockey Canada.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
PITTSBURGH – Sidney Crosby plans to remain a Pittsburgh Penguin for at least three more years.
The Penguins announced on Monday that they re-signed the 37-year-old from Cole Harbour, N.S., to a two-year contract extension that has an average annual value of US$8.7 million. The deal runs through the 2026-27 season.
Crosby was eligible to sign an extension on July 1 with him entering the final season of a 12-year, $104.4-million deal that carries an $8.7-million salary cap hit.
At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas last Monday, he said things were positive and he was optimistic about a deal getting done.
The three-time Stanley Cup champion is coming off a 42-goal, 94-point campaign that saw him finish tied for 12th in the league scoring race.
Crosby has spent all 19 of his NHL seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing 592 goals and 1,004 assists in 1,272 career games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
MONTREAL – Tadej Pogacar was so dominant on Sunday, Canada’s Michael Woods called it a race for second.
Pogacar, a three-time Tour de France champion from Slovenia, pedalled to a resounding victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.
The UAE Team Emirates leader crossed the finish line 24 seconds ahead of Spain’s Pello Bilbao of Bahrain — Victorious to win the demanding 209.1-kilometre race on a sunny, 28 C day in Montreal. France’s Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal Quick-Step was third.
“He’s the greatest rider of all time, he’s a formidable opponent,” said Woods, who finished 45 seconds behind the leader in eighth. “If you’re not at your very, very best, then you can forget racing with him, and today was kind of representative of that.
“He’s at such a different level that if you follow him, it can be lights out.”
Pogacar slowed down before the last turn to celebrate with the crowd, high-five fans on Avenue du Parc and cruise past the finish line with his arms in the air after more than five hours on the bike.
The 25-year-old joined Belgium’s Greg Van Avermaet as the only multi-time winners in Montreal after claiming the race in 2022. He also redeemed a seventh-place finish at the Quebec City Grand Prix on Friday.
“I was disappointed, because I had such good legs that I didn’t do better than seventh,” Pogacar said. “To bounce back after seventh to victory here, it’s just an incredible feeling.”
It’s Pogacar’s latest win in a dominant year that includes victories at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.
Ottawa’s Woods (Israel Premier-Tech) tied a career-best in front of the home crowd in Montreal, but hoped for more after claiming a stage at the Spanish Vuelta two weeks ago.
“I wanted a better result,” the 37-year-old rider said. “My goal was a podium, but at the same time I’m happy with the performance. In bike racing, you can’t always get the result you want and I felt like I raced really well, I animated the race, I felt like I was up there.”
Pogacar completed the 17 climbs up and down Mount Royal near downtown in five hours 28 minutes 15 seconds.
He made his move with 23.3 kilometres to go, leaving the peloton in his dust as he pedalled into the lead — one he never relinquished.
Bilbao, Alaphilippe, Alex Aranburu (Movistar Team) and Bart Lemmen (Visma–Lease) chased in a group behind him, with Bilbao ultimately separating himself from the pack. But he never came close to catching Pogacar, who built a 35-second lead with one lap left to go.
“It was still a really hard race today, but the team was on point,” Pogacar said. “We did really how we planned, and the race situation was good for us. We make it hard in the last final laps, and they set me up for a (takeover) two laps to go, and it was all perfect.”
Ottawa’s Derek Gee, who placed ninth in this year’s Tour de France, finished 48th in Montreal, and called it a “hard day” in the heat.
“I think everyone knows when you see Tadej on the start line that it’s just going to be full gas,” Gee said.
Israel Premier-Tech teammate Hugo Houle of Sainte-Perpétue, Que., was 51st.
Houle said he heard Pogacar inform his teammates on the radio that he was ready to attack with two laps left in the race.
“I said then, well, clearly it’s over for me,” Houle said. “You see, cycling isn’t that complicated.”
Australia’s Michael Matthews won the Quebec City GP for a record third time on Friday, but did not finish in Montreal. The two races are the only North American events on the UCI World Tour.
Michael Leonard of Oakville, Ont., and Gil Gelders and Dries De Bondt of Belgium broke away from the peloton during the second lap. Leonard led the majority of the race before losing pace with 45 kilometres to go.
Only 89 of 169 riders from 24 teams — including the Canadian national team — completed the gruelling race that features 4,573 metres in total altitude.
Next up, the riders will head to the world championships in Zurich, Switzerland from Sept. 21 to 29.
Pogacar will try to join Eddy Merckx (1974) and Stephen Roche (1987) as the only men to win three major titles in a season — known as the Triple Crown.
“Today gave me a lot of confidence, motivation,” Pogacar said. “I think we are ready for world championships.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
