Prior to the 2023 world junior hockey championship, the New Brunswick government included a “good conduct” condition to its financing agreement with Hockey Canada.
The worldwide competition, which runs from December 26 to January 5, is being co-hosted by Moncton, New Brunswick, and Halifax.
According to the agreement signed earlier this month by New Brunswick’s Regional Development Corporation, all Hockey Canada personnel “must be of good character and shall not partake in unethical activity” while attending the event.
This includes allowing unethical, illegal, or activities to be committed by anybody who is subject to Hockey Canada’s authority or supervision.
Although New Brunswick has pledged $1.25 million to the occasion, the Regional Development Corporation’s contract states that if unethical or unlawful behaviour takes place, the government may “demand that all of the unused share of the cash be returned.”
The deal Hockey Canada had with Edmonton to host the competition last year, which was postponed due to COVID-19, did not include a “good character” condition.
Following the May revelation that Hockey Canada had settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed she had been sexually abused by multiple players of the 2018 world junior squad, the organization has been embroiled in controversy for months.
Executives with the national sports organization later disclosed that, excluding the 2018 payment, they had paid out $8.9 million in sexual assault settlements since 1989.
Members of two different Canadian men’s junior teams are the subject of two active police investigations.
The 2018 team-related police investigation in London, Ontario has been reopened. The 2003 team is the subject of allegations that some of its members sexually attacked a lady while filming the assault during the competition that year. Halifax Regional Police are looking into these claims.
No charges have been filed, and none of the claims have been established in court.
On Saturday, Hockey Canada elected a new board of directors. The organization is currently looking for a new CEO. The controversies led to the resignation of the previous board and the dismissal of Scott Smith as president and CEO.
