.png)
Brantford Community Hockey League – Incident/Complaint Policy
Print and submit the Incident/Complaint form which will go directly to our DRC (Dispute Resolution Committee) for review. It is important that we receive all formal complaints in writing.
Allow a minimum of 72 hours for the DRC to contact you directly. After all investigations and meetings, the DRC will send the recommendations to the Board of Directors.
Prior to submitting an Incident/Complaint form, please read the following:
- This form is for the exclusive use of Brantford Community Hockey League members only. Membership includes Players; Parents; Team Officials; Board Members; Referee & Timekeepers; Convenors; and volunteers. If you have a complaint and you are not a member of our association, please contact your association centre delegate.
- The DRC is in place to investigate serious issues/complaints/incidents. As you are aware, hockey is a very passionate sport that can often lead to unreasonable and emotional situations. Most issues can be resolved at the team level with communication.
- Along with allowing for the 24 hours cool down rule, the DRC committee recommends the following steps be followed prior to submitting this form:
FOR INCIDENTS/COMPLAINTS IN HOUSE LEAGUE OR SELECT
- Discuss with your Head Coach and/or Team Manager. If situation cannot be resolved or your complaint is against a Head Coach or team official, then:
- Discuss with the Divisional Director or Director of Select (email information on our website).
- If the situation cannot be resolved or your complaint is against a director, then: Submission of Incident/Complaint form.
IMPORTANT
***If your complaint involves sexual or physical abuse, it is your duty to contact the Police immediately.
***If your complaint involves bullying or hazing, ignore all the steps above and contact the VP (email information on our website) immediately who in turn must contact Alliance Hockey immediately.
SAFE SPORT - INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY
Hockey Canada and its Members want to end the culture of silence that exists in parts of hockey. To help ensure that we are a safe space for raising concerns, Hockey Canada has established a new, fully independent, and confidential reporting mechanism for all individuals regarding any incidents involving Hockey Canada sanctioned programming as outlined in the Action Plan. This reporting mechanism is known as the Independent Third Party and is led by Brian Ward and Jahmiah Ferdinand.
The role of the independent third party is to:
• receive all hockey related maltreatment, sexual violence, harassment, abuse or discrimination complaints by someone affiliated with Hockey Canada;
• analyze complaints in light of Hockey Canada and Member policies and determine how they are to be managed and the proper jurisdiction;
• where applicable, ensure matters are properly reported to law enforcement or child protection services;
• retain investigators and dispute resolution panels who are also independent of Hockey Canada;
• work with Canada's Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Member associations to ensure no gaps in complaint coverage and that all complaints are handled in accordance with applicable policies and that decisions are documented in writing.
The role of the independent third party is NOT to:
• process appeals for matters that take place in other jurisdictions;
• receive complaints related to personality conflicts and differing opinions that do not constitute
• maltreatment; receive complaints relating to matters such as transfer requests or appeals;
• receive complaints about operational matters such as fee disputes and refunds;
The new Hockey Canada Discipline and Complaints Policy outlines the role of the Independent Third Party and the applicable processes.
A key feature of the Independent Third Party structure is its independence from Hockey Canada. The Independent Third Party has sole jurisdiction to handle complaints and keeps the identity of complainants confidential from Hockey Canada and Member associations. The Independent Third Party will not be unduly influenced by anyone at Hockey Canada regarding the complaint administration process. Although the Independent Third Party mechanism is staffed by some lawyers, those lawyers do not provide any legal advice to Hockey Canada.
Reporting Abuse or Harassment is often a difficult process. The Independent Third Party is committed to operating in a trauma informed manner.
For example:
• All reports will be kept entirely confidential, in line with the wishes of the person making the complaint. This includes confidentiality from Hockey Canada and Member association staff.
• All Complaints will be followed up in a timely manner.
• The Independent Third Party has developed resources to share with survivors of abuse and can direct survivors to additional supports.· The Independent Third Party answers questions about the complaint process.
• Complaints are taken seriously and rigorously examined.
The Independent Third Party is staffed by a number of diverse professionals reflecting both gender and racial diversity. Service is available in both French and English.
Additional resources will be developed as the Independent Third Party continues its work and analyzes the ongoing needs to ensure a safe and trauma informed complaint mechanism.