Hockey Canada’s Second Fund Used to Settle Sexual Assault Allegations
In a recent article entitled, “Report: Hockey Canada had a second fund for Handling sexual assault claims,” Sportsnet shares recent findings by a House of Commons investigatory committee that Hockey Canada had a second, undisclosed fund to handle claims that are not otherwise covered by insurance, including settlements of sexual assault allegations. The Participants Legacy Trust Fund has come under public scrutiny as the investigatory committee established that Hockey Canada used funds, made up in part of parents’ registration fees, as settlement in certain sexual assault allegations levied against the association’s players since 1989.
Originally established in 1999, The Participants Legacy Trust Fund was created to settle uninsured claims that occurred between 1986 to 1995 before Hockey Canada began purchasing insurance for sexual assault claims. The Trust was supposed to be dissolved in May 2020 but Hockey Canada went to court in late 2018 to extend it until 2039. While Hockey Canada executives referred to increased education as the reason for the extension, Members of Parliament, like Conservative John Nater, criticized Hockey Canada for their “blatant omission of pertinent information that our committee and Canadians really need to know about.”