(File photo/CJME Staff)

By Britton Gray, CJME News

Hockey Canada releases discrimination report

Dec 2, 2022 | 3:14 PM

Saskatchewan has one of the lowest rates in Canada when it comes to discriminatory incidents in the hockey rink.

Hockey Canada has unveiled a report tracking discrimination in hockey.

“As part of Hockey Canada’s Action Plan to Improve Canada’s Game, the organization, and its Members are working to identify, track, and report all instances of abuse, maltreatment, and harassment in hockey across the country,” the report stated.

“As a first step in this work, Hockey Canada Members have tracked and reported all incidents of verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds which occurred during the 2021-22 season.”

According to the report, there were 512 penalties called in Canada under rule 11.4 — the rule surrounding discrimination reported by their members. There were also 415 reported allegations of discrimination.

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Out of the 512 penalties called for discrimination, only nine were reported by Hockey Saskatchewan.

According to the report, Hockey Saskatchewan has 33,685 players, leading to a .03 per cent per capita rate of discrimination-related penalties — the second-lowest rate in the country.

Hockey Eastern Ontario had 71 incidents (0.31 per cent), Hockey Northwestern Ontario had 11 (0.26 per cent), Hockey Nova Scotia had 21 (0.13 per cent), Hockey Alberta had 91 (0.13 per cent), Hockey New Brunswick had 16 (0.11 per cent), B.C. Hockey reported 55 (0.10 per cent), Hockey Manitoba had 25 (0.09 per cent), Hockey PEI reported five (0.09 per cent), the Ontario Hockey Federation had 152 (0.09 per cent), Hockey Quebec had 51 (.06 per cent), Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador reported five (.05 per cent), and Hockey North had no reported incidents.

A majority of the penalties called were related to discrimination about sexual orientation or gender identity (61 per cent), race (18 per cent) and disability (11 per cent).

The most common age group to see penalties due to maltreatment was the under-18 group, with 282 incidents penalized (.39 per cent). That represents 55 per cent of the penalized incidents.

Hockey Saskatchewan also had 12 allegations of discrimination. That is .04 per cent per capita, the third-lowest rate in the country.

About 37 per cent of reported allegations go unsubstantiated while 18 per cent lead to suspensions, 17 per cent lead to a written warning, 13 per cent are resolved with education, and 10 per cent are dealt with by multiple sanctions or other results.