Thursday, July 28, 2022

21 victims. $8.9M in compensation. Hockey Canada reveals its history of settling sexual misconduct claims

Hockey Canada has been under fire since news broke that members of the 2018 world junior team were accused of a group sexual assault.

By Kieran Leavitt
Edmonton Bureau
Wed., July 27, 2022

Millions of dollars have flowed from Hockey Canada to more than 20 victims of sexual misconduct going back to 1989, it emerged Wednesday, as the curtain was at least partly pulled back on how the organization — now under a cloud of suspicion and scandal — has systemically dealt with allegations against its members.

Hockey Canada has settled 21 sexual misconduct claims, paying out $8.9 million in compensation, executives with the organization revealed before a committee of MPs in Ottawa.

The admission to the standing committee on Canadian heritage was accompanied by calls from some of those MPs for Hockey Canada president Scott Smith’s resignation, even as he sat before them.

Smith told the committee that should the board of Hockey Canada or the governance review launched recently recommend it, he would step aside.

“Canadians have been clear, they expect those representing our national sport to do better,” Smith said.

“We own it.”

Smith was flanked by some of the sport’s most powerful men and longtime stewards, including the heads of the country’s prominent junior hockey leagues, as the nation’s hockey giant — known for bringing championship hockey teams to fans all over the world — was raked over the coals for three hours Wednesday for what has been widely condemned as a systemic failure in addressing allegations of sexual assault.



Some MPs on the all-party committee expressed disgust at the sexual assault allegations that have been revealed and said that Canadians have lost confidence in the organization. Some noted the lack of diversity among the group before them and said it was time to place women, people of colour and Indigenous leaders into positions of power within the sport’s dominant structures.

Smith said at several points he believes he is the right person to take on the challenge at hand.

The total number of cases and dollar figures around sexual misconduct settlements emerged gradually at the hearing. Of the total paid out, $6.8 million was for incidents related to Graham James, the former Canadian junior hockey coach who was convicted of sexually abusing players. Nine victims have been paid from Hockey Canada’s controversial equity fund, the existence of which has been revealed in recent weeks. (There have been 20 payouts from that fund in total since 1989, with nine being for sexual assaults.)

The national equity fund has been partly funded by membership fees paid for by parents entering their kids into the sport. Since news of the fund broke, Hockey Canada has pledged to stop using it for settling sexual assault claims and released an action plan to start to “eliminate toxic behaviour” in the sport.

Brian Cairo, the chief financial officer for Hockey Canada, told the committee that in addition to the nine settlements from the equity fund, 12 settlements have been done through Hockey Canada’s insurance. Those claims totalled $1.3 million over the years, he said.

That’s a total of 21 cases of sexual misconduct settlements. The nine cases settled using the equity fund came between 1989 and 2021; while the 12 settled through insurance happened between 1996 and 2022, the committee was told.

Sheldon Kennedy told the Star on Wednesday that Hockey Canada paid him a cash settlement after he publicly accused former junior hockey coach Graham James of sexual assault.

“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “I sued Hockey Canada after (police) charged Graham James and he went to jail. There was a settlement made.”

Kennedy, a former junior hockey star, played in the NHL for parts of eight seasons, including stints with the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames. In 1996, he revealed that James, his former coach, had repeatedly sexually assaulted him when he was a member of the Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League.

“That was the first case that came forward,” he said.

Kennedy said that he doesn’t know whether Hockey Canada paid his settlement out of the so-called National Equity Fund. “I had no idea how they were paying it out,” he said.

Asked if he had signed a nondisclosure agreement as part of his settlement, Kennedy, who was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2014 for his advocacy, replied: “I signed something, but I mean, obviously I haven’t been following it very well if I did.”

Former NHL star Theoren Fleury, who revealed in 2009 that he too had been sexually abused by James as a teen, said it was “nobody’s business” whether he had received a settlement from the equity fund.

“There’s bigger problems with Hockey Canada than people getting settlements,” he said. “I talked to these guys until I was blue in the face and told them that this is exactly what’s going to happen if they’re not proactive.”

The Hockey Canada president told the committee Wednesday that any victims who have signed nondisclosure agreements but who may want to speak out about their experiences could be allowed to.

“If they wish to eliminate those, unless there is a legal reason not to that I’m not aware of, I’m not sure why we wouldn’t,” he said.

Hockey Canada has been under fire since news broke in May that members of the 2018 world junior team were accused of a group sexual assault after a gala event in London, Ont. Police did not lay charges, but the woman at the centre of the allegations sued Hockey Canada, the Canadian Hockey League and several players this spring.

Hockey Canada swiftly settled the case for an undisclosed amount and MPs on the committee are now probing how it dealt with the allegations and the lawsuit. Meanwhile, London police have reopened their investigation into the incident.

Hockey Canada receives cash from the federal government, representing about six per cent of its overall funding, and saw that money suspended in the wake of revelations about the lawsuit settlement. The organization has also watched as corporate sponsors have fled amid the fallout.

Cairo, in response to questions Wednesday, said that Hockey Canada didn’t go through insurance with respect to the 2018 allegations and instead opted to use the national equity fund to pay the settlement.

“The right thing to do was to deal with the woman, the young woman, and, secondly, it was right for the organization,” he said.

“We didn’t know all the details of the night, but we did believe harm was caused.”

The decision to settle came after discussions involving the young woman’s and the organization’s lawyers. The board of directors at Hockey Canada voted to allow the maximum payout amount, the committee heard.

“We advised all players after we settled with the young woman,” Smith said during questioning. “We made the decision to settle on behalf of Hockey Canada and the other named defendants, and we did so in the best interest of the young woman, in protecting her privacy, and also her benefit going forward.”

Reports further emerged last week of separate allegations about another group sexual assault involving members of the 2003 world junior team. Halifax police have said they opened an investigation into that incident as well.

Most of the hearing Wednesday dealt with the 2018 incident and didn’t significantly address the 2003 allegations, although some on the committee expressed some interest in hearing more testimony from the Hockey Canada officials in the future.

Smith did say that officials became aware of a rumour circulating about something “bad” happening involving members of the 2003 team about two weeks before becoming aware of the details through contact with the media. A TSN reporter contacted the organization with details last week and the allegations were revealed publicly soon thereafter in a Hockey Canada news release.

Smith said that the organization could have done better in how it responded to the allegations in 2018, which were subject of an independent investigation that didn’t make participation by players mandatory. Now that the probe has been relaunched, player participation is mandatory.

Committee members told Smith their confidence in his ability to lead cultural change at Hockey Canada was low, given his many years with the organization and the decades of abuse that have plagued the sport.

“What we’ve seen is a complete erosion in the public trust,” NDP MP Peter Julian told Smith during the hearing Wednesday.

Julian also said it’s “time for new leadership.”

Others echoed the call for resignations.

“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,” Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said at the close of the hearing.

The testimony Wednesday came a day after it emerged that the federal agency in charge of Canadian sports policies knew early on about sexual assault allegations against members of the 2018 world junior team.

On Tuesday, Michel Ruest, a senior director at Sport Canada, told MPs on the House of Commons heritage committee that his organization was made aware of the London allegations, but did not follow up with the national governing body or tell the minister’s office.

Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge told MPs that “procedures absolutely need to be improved so that there can be better monitoring of the cases that are signalled to Sport Canada,” a branch of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage.


With files from Richard Warnica and The Canadian Press

Kieran Leavitt is an Edmonton-based political reporter for the Toronto Star. Follow him on Twitter: @kieranleavitt

Tweets by ‎@kieranleavitt

  1. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt

    21 victims. $8.9M in compensation. Hockey Canada reveals its history of settling sexual misconduct claims https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/07/27/hockey-canada-scandal-president-former-ceo-to-appear-before-committee.html … via @torontostar

    Update: Hockey Canada has paid out $8.9M over 21 sexual misconduct incidents

    Hockey Canada has been under fire since news broke that members of the 2018 world junior team were accused of a group sexual assault.

    thestar.com
      •  
  2. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Smith says that if a victim comes forward wanting to speak and there's no legal issues around it, they would be prepared to wave a signed NDA.

      •  
  3. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Cairo says that, in addition to the 9 settlements from the equity fund, 12 settlements have been done through Hockey Canada's insurance. Those total $1.3 million in addition to the $7.6 million from the equity fund. 21 cases of sexual misconduct settlements in total.

      •  
  4. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Since 2018, there have been 4 incidents reported to the federal government. 2 - from 2018 and 2003 - involve sexual assault allegations. The two others are related to a different case involving one family and a father's conduct at arenas, says Smith. Not sexual misconduct.

      •  
  5. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    A Bloc MP said that in June during HCs first appearance, people pointed out that Smith seemed to "trivialize" the allegations. He says that wasn't his intent. One incident is one too many, Smith says.

    “We’ve used money to support families,” he says, not to maintain HC's image.

      •  
  6. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Tim Louis, Liberal MP, asks why not use insurance to settle claim from 2018?

    Smith: There were some questions about coverage and they thought it could take months or years to figure that out. Made decision to use the national equity fund in “best interests of the young woman.”

      •  
  7. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Karen Vecchio, CPC MP, asks: Why did HC decide to cease the investigation? Why not continue asking questions of these 2018 players and start changing the culture?

    Smith: “I don’t believe that we swept it under the rug.” The investigation is back on today, he says.

      •  
  8. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Cairo says that women's hockey has received more money from Hockey Canada than men's over the last 4 years. Men's ~$17 million, Women's ~$20 million, says CFO.

      •  
  9. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Smith is asked about the homogeny of the group there today. Do you think it would help Hockey Canada if it had some women in leadership positions? Two directors on the board are women, says Smith. Other women leaders there as well, he says.

      •  
  10. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Smith says they stand by the decision to do so.

      •  
  11. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Housefather says that not all the facts were known by HC before the settlement was made. Why not use the lawsuit to depose the plaintiff?

    Smith says "We made the decision to settle in the best interests of the young woman and to respect her privacy."

      •  
  12. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Liberal MP Anthony Housefather says some John Doe players weren't contacted about HC decision to settle the 2018 allegations within a few weeks of getting the statement of claim

    Smith says we “did so in the best interest of the young woman” when the settlement decision was made.

      •  
  13. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    How many sexual assault victims have received payments from national equity fund?

    9, says Cairo. There have been a total of 20 people paid out from that fund, including the 9, he says.

      •  
  14. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Two weeks before the details emerged last week, Hockey Canada had heard a rumour about "something bad" happening in 2003 in Halifax and they brought in an independent investigator. The details weren't known until HC was contacted about 2003 allegations by the media, says Smith.

      •  
  15. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    NDP MP Peter Julian: “The Canadian public has lost confidence in Hockey Canada,” he says. This hearing is a “last opportunity” to establish some credibility, he says.

    Smith says he wasn't aware of the 2003 allegations that emerged last week before they came to light recently.

      •  
  16. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Lemire says it seems like money can buy anything at Hockey Canada and says Smith should resign.

      •  
  17. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Lemire: “Would you allow your daughter to take part in Hockey Canada events?”

    Smith: I do believe that the current situation is troubling, he says. “I do think that there certainly is an opportunity to put young girls in the game and deliver a safe environment.”

      •  
  18. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    Lemire: Without public outrage and if the media hadn’t played the role it played, would people be doing anything in Hockey Canada?

    Smith: We launched a safe sport department. “Yes there’s been lots of work that’s been done in the last 6 weeks,” he says, but safety is priority.

      •  
  19. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    What are you apologizing for exactly? asks Bloc MP Sebastien Lemire. Smith says in 2018 “we should have done more” and things could have been done “quicker.”

    Hockey Canada apologizes for that, says Smith.

      •  
  20. Kieran Leavitt✔@kieranleavitt
    Replying to @kieranleavitt

    But he believes he has the confidence of the organization to take on this issue. He's responding to an MP who pointed out that Smith has been with Hockey Canadian for some 30 years. What's changed now? Why is he to be trusted to take it on now? sked the Liberal MP.

      •  
Posted by at No comments:

Growing crop of young farmers in Manitoba raises hopes for future

Province now has highest proportion of farmers under 35

as number has grown in last decade: Stats Can

Cameron MacLean · CBC News · 
A man with long dark hair and a beard stands in a field in front of a hay bale. He wears sunglasses, blue coveralls and a leather glove, and gives a thumbs up to the camera.
Jamal Abas, 30, is one of a growing number of young farmers in Manitoba. A recent Statistics Canada report says the province has the highest proportion of farm operators under 35 in Canada. (Jamal Abas/Twitter)

When Anastasia Fyk finished high school and left her family's farm, she never imagined she'd live there again.

But after eight years abroad, concerns about climate change drew her back to western Manitoba and her family's land northwest of Dauphin, with the goal of finding a more sustainable way to produce food.

"I'm working on getting back to how we used to farm but with new technology," the 33-year-old said.

She's part of a rising number of young people in Manitoba taking up farming, Statistics Canada says.

Data from the recently released 2021 census of agriculture says Manitoba had the highest proportion of farm operators under age 35 in Canada — 11.5 per cent of Manitoba's farmers are in that age range, compared to the national average of 8.6 per cent.

That's up from 2016, when Manitoba also had the highest proportion of young operators, at 10.8 per cent.

Fyk's family grows buckwheat, wheat, oats and canola.

She practises permaculture, a method of growing food that aims to match natural processes to maintain the health of the soil.

The harmful impacts of industrial monoculture farming on the environment concerned Fyk, but she also saw potential solutions in changing the way people grow food.

"We could be sequestering a lot more carbon by doing things like permaculture … instead of annual agriculture," she said.

'We're still bleeding farmers'

The latest statistics showing the rise in young people farming in Manitoba are encouraging, Fyk said, but the sector still faces many challenges that are forcing more and more people out of the business.

"I think that it's amazing that Manitoba does have the most young farmers, but at the same time, we're still bleeding farmers. There's not nearly enough farmers, and especially young farmers, to fill the gap."

Anastasia Fyk decided to take over her family's farm northwest of Dauphin, Man., out of concerns about climate change and a desire to ensure the land was taken care of. (Submitted by Anastasia Fyk)

There were 34,780 farm operators in Manitoba in 1991 — the first year Statistics Canada collected comparable data in its agriculture census. That number has declined every census period since, dropping to 19,465 in 2021.

The number of farmers under 35 in Manitoba dropped to a low of 1,965 in 2011, before climbing in 2016 to 2,175, and then again to 2,230 in the latest census.

Despite the increase in the number of younger farmers, the average age of Manitoba farmers continues to get older, rising from 53 in 2016 to 54 in 2021.

Statistics Canada also reports an increase in the percentage of women operating farms in Manitoba — from 23.8 per cent in 2016 to 26.5 per cent in 2021.

"I think that's a really neat thing, that it's not just, 'OK … the son is going to take over the farm,'" said Colin Penner, a University of Manitoba farm management professor.

"It's not necessarily gender-based anymore."

Those are encouraging signs in what have been difficult times for Manitoba farmers, who endured a painful drought and grasshopper infestation last summer, followed by an extended wet spring that delayed seeding.

"This year, seeding was unlike any I've ever seen, and I think unlike any that my dad's ever seen, and he's … been farming for many decades," said Jamal Abas, 30.

He and his family have 190 breeding cattle on a farm near Hodgson, in Manitoba's Interlake region, where they also grow wheat, canola and oats. 

In addition to being a full-time farmer, Abas is going to law school, but farming will always be a way of life for him, he said.

"It's quite a feeling to be running your cultivator on a piece of land that your granddad and your great-grandparents and your great-uncles and great-aunts cleared with axes and horse-drawn plows," he said.

"There's a sense, of course, of pride with that."

'I was a lot happier'

Jake Ayre also comes from a long line of farmers, stretching back more than seven generations in the United Kingdom, before his family immigrated to Canada in 2002. 

The 25-year-old left his family's farm near Minto, in southwestern Manitoba, to go to university in Winnipeg. He had no intention of getting back into the business.

A man wearing a green hat and blue T-shirt sits in the cab of a farm machine with fields of crops visible through the windows behind him.
Jake Ayre, 25, left his family's farm near Minto, Man., to go to university in Winnipeg but found himself drawn back to the business. (Jake Ayre/Facebook)

"I was working in the city and I was finding myself daydreaming about the farm all the time," he said.

"I realized that I was a lot happier at home, on the farm, and this is something I could see myself doing. And it gave me a sense of fulfilment."

Interest in the sector seems to have increased, as indicated by the number of students the U of M's Penner sees in his classroom.

"Our classes for the last number of years have been just about at capacity, which has been a lot of fun," he said.

But those young farmers face challenges. 

Many families sold their farms during tough economic times over the last few decades, and Fyk says most young people going into farming are either taking over family operations or doing small-scale, direct-to-consumer farming.

"I would say that anybody looking to get into farming as a first-generation farmer, it's really not an easy task," she said.

"There's a lot of obstacles when it comes to land, when it comes to machinery. It's extremely expensive. And for somebody who's never farmed, it's a huge risk to take."

But she felt a responsibility to move back — in part because of concern over what would happen to her family's land if she didn't take it over.

"Otherwise it would be going into hands that I'm not sure would take that necessary care of the land," she said.

"I know that if I'm not the one doing it, I'm not sure anybody else would."

Manitoba has Canada’s highest proportion of young farmers, StatCan data shows

By Sam Thompson Global News
Posted July 27, 2022 


Stats Canada is reporting that Manitoba has the highest proportion of farmers under 35 in Canada.

Farming isn’t an easy job in Manitoba — especially with challenging weather in recent years — but the province’s producers top the rest of the country in one interesting category.

According to a report by Statistics Canada this summer, Manitoba is home to the highest proportion of farmers 35 years of age and under nationwide.

One of those farmers, St. Malo’s Byron Falk, says he wants to encourage his fellow young people to get involved in the industry.

Falk told Global News he didn’t grow up on a farm. It’s a venture he started on his own, but it’s been a very rewarding career choice despite the hard work.

“When that new calf is born in spring, and you see it running around — or you get that seed in the ground and a week later it’s sprouted … there are these realities that all take time and money and investment and hard work, but … man, when it’s start working and you see the result …

“I think that’s the part that keeps me in it, as well as just being outdoors all the time.”

READ MORE: Latest stretch of dry weather welcomed by Manitoba farmers

Falk said this spring has been nothing short of a challenge, and that he’s only getting to some seeding this week, but is still optimistic about his decision to take the plunge into farming despite the long days and late nights.

According to data from Statistics Canada’s 2021 agricultural census, Manitoba, which has the third-largest farm area in the country, has more than 11 per cent of its agricultural operators identifying as 35 or younger.

That’s notably higher than the overall Canadian percentage of 8.6.

Manitoba is also being boosted by an increase in female farmers, the report said. The proportion of female operators in the province saw an increase from 23.8 to 26.5 per cent, representing a total of 5,150 farmers.

 
Posted by at No comments:

High energy bills see some Canadians risking the heat

New research finds that many Canadian households may be struggling to pay their energy bills or limiting their energy use when they need it most
The Conversation



Almost one in 10 Canadian households spend more than 10 per cent of their income to heat and cool their homes, keep the lights on and to store or cook food. For these households, the high cost of energy, which includes electricity, natural gas, heating oil and propane, means they may ration their use, leading them to live in energy poverty.

Energy, in its many forms, has a vital role in people’s lives. It can provide entertainment, nourishment and the ability to work, but it also supplies critical services, such as heating or cooling.

Extreme weather events, like the 2021 heat dome in Western Canada, are expected to increase in frequency in the future and will amplify the need for these critical energy services. A household’s high energy burden could be a risk to the lives of everyone in that home.

Our research shows that some households in Canada spend up to 16 per cent of their household budget on energy — almost five times more than those who do not live in energy poverty. It strongly suggests that many households in Canada are struggling to meet their basic energy needs.

Energy poverty impacts quality of life

Canada — unlike many other countries in the world — does not recognize energy poverty, the lack of adequate and necessary home energy services.

Living in energy poverty means, for example, being too hot or too cold at home, or having stress over high energy bills. These can negatively impact health, relationships and regular day-to-day life.

Energy poverty usually results from the combination of low income, high energy prices and low energy efficiency. Poorly insulated homes and inefficient appliances increase the cost of energy use, particularly affecting those who have low incomes.

Housing costs also impact disposable incomes for energy expenditures. Across Canada, many households struggle with affordable and adequate housing. And the Bank of Canada’s recent benchmark interest rate hike is the largest one in more than two decades. Housing has reached a crisis point, prompting the federal government to present a $70-billion National Housing Strategy to reduce homelessness, remove families from housing need and invest in new housing construction.

A key area of concern is older, inefficient housing, which has higher energy costs and reduced comfort levels. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation considers housing to be affordable when it costs less than one-third of a household’s before-tax income. An energy burden and high housing costs have the potential to make life less affordable for Canadians.

A danger to life

More people have been working from home since the pandemic. This has likely increased energy use at home — as well as the amount households spend on energy. Some governments, including in British Columbia, provided some relief with electricity bills. The federal government changed home office expense claim amounts on personal income tax returns if people worked more than 50 per cent of the time from home for at least four consecutive weeks. But it may not be enough.

With increasing summer temperatures and extreme weather, the use of air conditioning and fans will likely rise — along with energy costs. Toronto, for example, is projected to experience nearly 40 very hot days (greater than 30 C) by 2050 under a climate scenario where greenhouse gas emissions decline rapidly after 2050. Windsor, Ont., could face up to 80 very hot days by 2050 under a high-carbon scenario, four times as many as it did on average between 1976 and 2008.

Heat-related deaths are on the rise globally. When temperatures reached over 40 C in many parts of British Columbia in late June 2021, 619 people died. Nearly all of them indoors, and most lacked adequate cooling systems. Many households avoid using air conditioning during very hot weather because they are concerned about adding to their electricity bills, and there is widespread lack of cooling infrastructure.

With Canada’s inflation rate rising at its fastest pace in 40 years, and with costs increasing across all corners of the economy, day-to-day life is becoming less affordable. Energy poverty is a real issue for many Canadians, and many more are likely to struggle with rising energy costs in the future.

It’s essential for people to be able to have access to energy services like heating or cooling, but they must be affordable. Energy burdens need to be considered as a key factor in Canadian energy policy, given it could be a matter of life and death.

The federal government should start by officially recognizing the issue of energy poverty. This has been done in the United Kingdom, and has allowed the country to begin to address the challenge of energy poverty.The Conversation

Runa Das, Associate Professor, College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Royal Roads University and Mari Martiskainen, Senior Research Fellow, University of Sussex

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)