Hockey Canada kept abuse claim reserve fund, court documents show
CBC
An affidavit filed in an Ontario court case suggests Hockey Canada has maintained a fund to pay for uninsured liabilities, including sexual abuse claims.
The detail is included in a July 2021 affidavit sworn by Glen McCurdie, who was then Hockey Canada's vice-president of insurance and risk management, as part of a lawsuit launched by an injured player in Ontario.
"Hockey Canada maintains a reserve in a segregated account to pay for any such uninsured liabilities as they arise," McCurdie's affidavit said. It goes on to say that "uninsured liabilities include potential claims for historical sexual abuse."
Hockey Canada did not immediately respond to an email from The Canadian Press requesting comment on McCurdie's affidavit.
The sport's national body has been under intense scrutiny since news of an alleged sexual assault at a 2018 gala in London, Ont., involving eight unidentified players — including members of that year's world junior team — and subsequent settlement broke in May. None of the allegations have been proven in court.
WATCH | Hockey Canada reopens sexual assault allegation probe:
Scott Smith, the organization's president and COO, and outgoing CEO Tom Renney were grilled by parliamentarians during a Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage meeting last month on both the matter and where settlement funds came from.
McCurdie, who retired in December, did not attend proceedings following the death of his father, but has been subpoenaed by the committee for a subsequent round of meetings slated to begin next Tuesday.
The organization released a carefully worded open letter Thursday with a number of promises, including a pledge to reopen an incomplete third-party investigation into the alleged assault.
"We know we have not done enough to address the actions of some members of the 2018 national junior team or to end the culture of toxic behaviour within our game," Hockey Canada wrote last week.
"For that we unreservedly apologize."
WATCH | Government freezes Hockey Canada funding over sex assault allegation settlement:
Smith, who took over from Renney as CEO on July 1, testified on Parliament Hill last month Hockey Canada reported three sexual assault complaints in recent years, including the London incident, but wouldn't discuss the other two in front of committee.
He added there have been up to two complaints of sexual misconduct each of the last five or six years.
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