organizations. Sponsorship money received at the national level is for national sporting events only. What can we do in our own community and what are the local organizations doing to ensure our athletes come first? There is a great deal of pressure on our local volunteers who coach. Our community has several sporting organizations for minor hockey, baseball, soccer, ringette, dance, gymnastics, karate, football, and track & field. Following multiple emails to my office for assistance from individuals across the country on their own experiences, I have continued to work on files. Although I am not legally involved, I approach the files to identify gaps. Strategies and solutions mandated by Sport Canada refer to national athletes only, with a few contractual exemptions, so how are local associations and organizations working to ensure athletes at all levels of participation are safe? During the summer, I had an opportunity to begin my work at the local level with the assistance of the St. Thomas Stars Minor Hockey Association. My review has begun by completing the programs available to coaches and parents. As suggested by the delegation, the review of organizational structures for multiple sport disciplines is necessary. Locally, I felt greatly confident with the professionalism of the organization (or perhaps it was just the hardworking volunteers who have been working in our community for years!). From my experience with Hockey Canada and the study in the Status of Women committee, conflict of interest has been a great challenge to overcome. Ensuring that individuals who violate the code of ethics are appropriately investigated, disciplined
and sanctioned must be upheld. Opportunities to ensure that complaints are probably reported must be guaranteed. Regardless of the relationship to one another in sport, our principles must put the athletes first. Everyone has a re- sponsibility, from those who coach to those who cheer from the stands. There must be accountability and mechanisms to ensure sport is actually safe. As a crazy parent on the sidelines circa 2000-2021, I know I can do better. Let’s win, but let’s always win with integrity.
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Lambeth Villager • March 2025 • Page 9
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