BWHA Statement Regarding Hockey Canada

Over the last couple of months, we have seen many unfortunate news stories regarding Hockey Canada’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations and incidents, both recent and in the past.

On August 15, 2022 the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association issued a statement calling for Hockey Canada to be “fully transparent with Canadians about their actions in the past and their plans for the future.” Please click here to read the full OWHA statement.

The BWHA is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for our players - a commitment that we up-hold not only through our polices, but also through the ongoing management and oversight of house league and competitive programs. While we are confident that the right measures are in place, the focus on Hockey Canada and calls for them to improve their governance and policies has motivated us to also look at whether we could also do better. Over the coming months, the BWHA Board will prioritize reviewing our own policies and procedures to see if there are any ways we can update, improve, or expand on the steps we are already taking to ensure our programs are a positive experience for all. This will include renewed information to ensure our players and parents are aware of the actions they can take if they ever encounter a negative experience, including options for reporting and supports available.

We will provide further information about this work as it progresses through the 2022-2023 hockey season. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

On behalf of the Barrie Women's Hockey Association Board of Directors,

Rob Emerson
President, Barrie Women’s Hockey Association
president@bwha.ca