Hockey Canada kept abuse claim reserve fund, court documents show
CBC
An affidavit filed in an Ontario court case suggests Hockey Canada has maintained a fund to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims.
The detail is included in a July 2021 affidavit sworn by Glen McCurdie, who was then Hockey Canada's vice-president of insurance and risk management, as part of a lawsuit launched by an injured player in Ontario.
"Hockey Canada maintains a reserve in a segregated account to pay for any such uninsured liabilities as they arise," McCurdie's affidavit said. It goes on to say that "uninsured liabilities include potential claims for historical sexual abuse."
Hockey Canada did not immediately respond to an email from The Canadian Press requesting comment on McCurdie's affidavit.
The sport's national body has been under intense scrutiny since news of an alleged sexual assault at a 2018 gala in London, Ont., involving eight unidentified players — including members of that year's world junior team — and subsequent settlement broke in May. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
WATCH | Hockey Canada reopens sexual assault allegation probe:
Scott Smith, the organization's president and COO, and outgoing CEO Tom Renney were grilled by parliamentarians during a Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage meeting last month on both the matter and where settlement funds came from.
McCurdie, who retired in December, did not attend proceedings following the death of his father, but has been subpoenaed by the committee for a subsequent round of meetings slated to begin next Tuesday.
The organization released a carefully worded open letter Thursday with a number of promises, including a pledge to reopen an incomplete third-party investigation into the alleged assault.
"We know we have not done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 national junior team or to end the culture of toxic behaviour within our game," Hockey Canada wrote last week.
"For that we unreservedly apologize."
WATCH | Government freezes Hockey Canada funding over sex assault allegation settlement:
Smith, who took over from Renney as CEO on July 1, testified on Parliament Hill last month Hockey Canada reported three sexual assault complaints in recent years, including the London incident, but wouldn't discuss the other two in front of committee.
He added there have been up to two complaints of sexual misconduct each of the last five or six years.
The City of Edmonton is developing a wildfire strategy to mitigate risks within the municipality and help neighbouring regions, the city's emergency advisory committee heard Wednesday.
About 20 workers, students and local MPP candidates gathered outside Hamilton's Mohawk College Wednesday — where a fifth of full-time jobs have been cut since December — to call on the province to better fund post-secondary education.
In a busy race to Queen's Park, nine candidates are vying for the Sarnia—Lambton seat — a riding that's been conservative for nearly 20 years.
There's just over a year left in the Canada-Alberta child-care agreement and it's shaping up to be a rocky one for some parents, who — for this first time in the history of the agreement — will see their fees increase as a new phase of the program rolls out.
B.C. MLA Adrian Dix says he gets texts, emails, and even stopped at his local Safeway. He says people urge him to cut off power or even water to the U.S.
B.C. cities, in general, would be among the least vulnerable in Canada if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats, according to new data from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Here's where and when you can vote in advance polls in Waterloo region, Guelph and Wellington County
Voting day is Feb. 27 in the Ontario election, but people can cast their ballots this week in advance polls.
Staff with Summerside Electric say they're not getting many updates from Maritime Electric after a failure at the utility's Sherbrooke substation over a week ago caused strain on the city's electrical grid.
The N.W.T.'s public utilities board has ordered the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) to start paying Naka Power $48,500 per month to use a transmission line in the Hay River area, starting March 1.
Ideologically motivated violent extremist groups are using antisemitism in a bid to recruit followers and inspire violence, according to a report from Canada's spy agency.
It's a move that could reshape North American trade.
Ontario's main political parties are competing for the hearts of voters by appealing to their wallets, with a mix of tax cuts and money-back rebates pitched as helping with the cost of living.
With one full week to go before voting day, Elections Ontario is working to reverse a recent downward trend in voter turnout, which set a record low of 43 per cent the last time Ontarians went to the polls in 2022.