Released on October 7, 2019

The Government of Saskatchewan and Sask Sport Inc., have teamed up to launch a joint marketing campaign to increase awareness on the tools and resources available to assist coaches, athletes and parents on bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination in sport.

“Ensuring a healthy, safe and respectful environment for all participants in amateur sport across our province is a priority,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Thanks to the dedication of Sask Sport and the provincial sport organizations, coaches, parents and athletes, this campaign compliments the hard work already underway.”

The marketing campaign will increase awareness and use of important resources, contacts and training available online, such as the Respect Resource Line. Expert staff provide information, bilingual support, resources and referrals pertaining to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination in sport by phone, text or email.

This confidential and anonymous resource is intended to assist coaches, athletes and parents in determining the most appropriate course of action. This campaign would not be possible without Sask Sport and their members, considered leaders across Canada with their dispute resolution policies, services and tools. Sask Sport includes the Respect Resource Line and the Respect in Sport online training programs for coaches and activity leaders.

“Sask Sport thanks the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, our member organizations and the many partners who have actively worked with us over the past 20 years to provide good governance practices and policies that reduce the risk of conflicts and disputes in sport,” Sask Sport Inc. volunteer Board Chair Kenric Exner said. “This effort has created a strong foundation for helping to prevent, identify and effectively deal with bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination, and we are eager to share the important resources and information in order to continue to help keep sport safe, healthy and fun in Saskatchewan.”

“We are so proud of our partnership with the Government of Saskatchewan and Sask Sport,” Respect Group Co-Founder Sheldon Kennedy said. “Training programs are only successful when organizations make them a priority. Kudos to Sask Sport and the sport leaders they serve.”

In addition, the campaign supports Sask Sport and their members in the promotion of resources to ensure more coaches are trained in current safe sport best practices.

For more information on the various sport resources, contacts and training, visit http://www.sasksport.sk.ca/safesport/.

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For more information, contact:

Jamie Toth
Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3506
Email: jamie.toth@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-527-8152

Leah Laxdal
Sask Sport Inc.
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-975-0871
Email: llaxdal@sasksport.sk.ca

The Respect in Sport Activity Leader/Coach Program educates youth leaders, coaches, officials and participants (14-years and up) to recognize, understand and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). Our Activity Leader and Parent Programs are Canada’s leading Safe Sport Solution!

Over 1.2 Million Canadians have Joined the Movement with Respect Group to create #SafeSport, Safer Workplaces, and Safer Schools!

Our brand new Activity Leader program will give your coaches, activity leaders and volunteers the tools they need to keep sport and activity safe and fun for everyone. Learn more or inquire at: www.respectinsport.com

SOURCE: Canada Soccer

Posted on 4 May 2019 in Canadian Soccer Association

At the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Members in Québec City, Canada Soccer’s membership unanimously supported a suite of programs and initiatives that contribute to safe, fun and welcoming environments for everyone involved in the game.

The Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster combines the benefits of mandatory certification for all coaches, a sophisticated Club Licensing Program, National Soccer Registry, Whistleblower Policy and Hotline, Code of Conduct and Ethics, and concussion protocols to create the best possible conditions for players, coaches, referees and administrators.

“The Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster represents the continuation of a long-term commitment to making our sport as safe and enjoyable as we possibly can for all our participants,” said Canada Soccer President Steven Reed. “We’re seeing an unprecedented movement in this country that’s affecting the entire sport system. For soccer, this is a good start, and we’re committed to working closely with our membership and all stakeholders to deliver on all the components of the Safe Sport Roster.”

At the heart of the Canada Soccer Safe Sport Roster are mandatory certification requirements for every coach in the country. These include training appropriate for the age and stage of the players, specified courses offered through the Coaching Association of Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program, online Respect in Sport training, and adopting the requirements of the Responsible Coaching Movement.

“This is a strong signal from the country’s soccer leaders that the safety, enjoyment and development of our athletes is paramount,” said Peter Montopoli, Canada Soccer General Secretary. “It recognizes that there is more that needs to be done to ensure safe sport experiences for all participants, no matter the age, level of play or community. Making sport safer is more than just the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do.”

“Minimum standards for coach training are absolutely essential to creating a safe environment for players,” said Jason deVos, Canada Soccer’s Director of Development. “We have a responsibility to ensure that investments are made by all member associations to help our coaches achieve those standards.”

Other initiatives include an expanded Club Licensing Program that provides a set of minimum standards for soccer experiences everywhere in the country, an education program to address abuse of referees, and a National Soccer Registry to track data related to player registration, development and safety.

Player safety is being further enhanced through nationwide implementation of concussion protocols.

“From my perspective as a pediatric neurologist, soccer in Canada has never been safer,” said Dr. Kevin Gordon, Member of Canada Soccer’s Sport Medicine Committee and a leading child neurologist. “Canada Soccer has put in place the gold standard for concussion protocols to prevent head injuries and to manage them as effectively as we can when they do occur.”

In addition to working with all member associations, Canada Soccer is committed to collaborating with other leading National and Multi-Sport Organizations towards making the entire sport system safer for all participants.

Sheldon Kennedy and Respect Group fully support the necessary systematic changes required to improve sport to ensure the safety of our youth. We believe that the vast majority of coaches, working with our youth, are there for the right reasons. It has been our goal to educate them on all forms of maltreatment so they have the confidence to carry out their “duty of care”. We will continue that charge.

About Respect Group Inc.

Respect Group (respectgroupinc.com) was incorporated on April 5th, 2004 by co-founders, Sheldon Kennedy and Wayne McNeil, to pursue their common passion: the prevention of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). As Canada’s leading on-line provider of prevention education related to BAHD, Respect Group has certified over 1.2 Million Canadians involved in sport, schools and the workplace. Respect Group is a Certified B Corporation (bcorporation.net).

For more information about Respect Group: www.respectinsport.com

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CPC / COC Joint Statement

February 10, 2019

Statement Regarding Safe Sport: Tricia Smith, President Canadian Olympic Committee, Marc-André Fabien, President Canadian Paralympic Committee

The Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees stand for sport free of harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind. We are committed to the health and safety of all who play or work for the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams and to doing our part to ensure safe sport is the standard.

We will both be in Red Deer, Alberta, next weekend, for the 2019 Canada Winter Games. We look forward to meeting with the Minister of Sport and our partners in the sport system to advance this important conversation and to take action to better safeguard those in sport today and into the future.

Part of our talks will focus on better harmonized mechanisms and actions to address harassment, abuse, and discrimination in the areas of awareness, prevention, reporting, management, and monitoring. The goal is to ensure a common understanding among stakeholders and supporting the safest possible environment for all participants from the club level all the way to Team Canada.

The COC and CPC will be strong and influential voices committed to driving meaningful improvements on this critical issue.

Posted on 5 November 2018 in Coaching – Canada Soccer

Canada Soccer is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with Respect in Sport as part of its core values to ensure a safe and positive environment for all participants of the game. The organization founded by former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy is aimed at preventing abuse in sport through coursework for coaches and team officials working with young athletes.

“This partnership is an important formalization of the work being done across the country to ensure that proper protections are in place for young athletes,” said Canada Soccer Director of Development Jason deVos. “We all have a responsibility to ensure young soccer players are in a supportive and safe development environment and this agreement is another layer to those protections.”

All coaches who participate in Canada Soccer’s coach education licensing programs will now be required to take a soccer-specific Respect in Sport module as part of coach education programs across the country.

“The Respect Group have been at the forefront of child protection in Canada for more than a decade, and we are delighted to sign this agreement to bolster our efforts in this vital area,” deVos said.

Swimming Canada, every single provincial swimming organization, and the Canadian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association (CSCTA) are partnering to sign on to the Responsible Coaching Movement.

“There is no place for abuse, harassment or discrimination in our sport,” said Swimming Canada CEO Ahmed El-Awadi. “With our key partners, we are committing to strengthen the processes we already have in place to ensure our athletes, coaches, officials, staff and volunteers are able to participate in safe, inclusive and respectful training and competitive environments. We are committed to these values through our Safe Sport initiatives, and I’m proud that our partners are stepping up to demonstrate their commitment as well.”

The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. A result of extensive ongoing consultation with the Canadian sport community, the RCM is a call to action for organizations to implement realistic change to address the role coaches play with issues relating to the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field of play.

Swimming Canada will be implementing the Respect in Sport Activity Leader Program and Respect in Sport Parent bullying abuse and harassment training prevention program to prevent and eliminate bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination in sport. 

Canadian Tire Jumpstart Launched Keeping Girls in Sport in Partnership with Coaching Association of Canada, CAAWS and Respect Group

Canadian Tire Jumpstart

June 19, 2018
For Immediate Release

Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, announced stronger measures to eliminate harassment in the Canadian sport system.

“All Canadians deserve to participate and compete in a sport environment, free from harassment, abuse or discrimination, regardless of gender, race, religion, language, age and ability. The Government of Canada recognizes the presence of harassment, abuse and discrimination in sport and is committed to stopping further instances.”

New provisions in funding agreements will support eligible sport organizations in fostering healthy and safe workplace environments.

Effective immediately:

• Federally funded sport organizations must take all necessary measures to create a workplace free from harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind.
• They must immediately disclose any incident of harassment, abuse or discrimination that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities.
• They must make provisions—within their governance framework—for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases.
• They must provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020 and are challenged to make this a priority and put mandatory training in place as soon as possible.

“Harassment of any kind is completely unacceptable, and the safety and security of athletes, coaches and officials is always our top priority. We all must play a role in protecting our young people and our athletes: to speak up when we see something that doesn’t seem quite right and to listen—really listen—to our athletes. And most importantly, to act when the situation demands it to ensure our athletes always have the support they need from us.”

—The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities

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Respect Group was incorporated on April 5th, 2004 by co-founders, Sheldon Kennedy and Wayne McNeil, to pursue their common passion: the prevention of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). Offering certification programs for Community/Sport Organizations (Respect in Sport), Schools and the Workplace, Respect Group has certified over 1,000,000 Canadians.

We welcome and encourage sport organizations to view our programs at: www.respectinsport.com

For more information please email: info@respectgroupinc.com

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Voir plus bas pour la version en français

June 6, 2018

Respect Group commends the bravery of the former members of the National Ski Team, Amélie-Frédérique Gagnon, Gail Kelly, Anna Prchal and Geneviève Simard and the many other women who have come forward to disclose their stories and share their collective goal in calling for safer sport. They represent a multitude of past victims and their voices have already inspired other courageous individuals to come forward.

Respect Group also applauds the leadership of B2Ten, the Coaching Association of Canada, the Sport Dispute and Resolution Centre of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for bringing this critical topic to the forefront and advocating for sport that is free from maltreatment. These recommendations include;

• Mandatory online training as to rights, responsibilities, obligations and awareness for athletes, coaches, professional service providers and management;
• Development, adoption and adherence of Policies and Procedures to prevent all forms of maltreatment;
• An independent avenue for parties to raise concerns when issues arise;
• The rule of two; insuring, within reason, that young athletes are not left on their own with a coach, staff or other personnel for an extended duration.

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Respect Group was incorporated on April 5th, 2004 by co-founders, Sheldon Kennedy and Wayne McNeil, to pursue their common passion: the prevention of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination (BAHD). Offering certification programs for Community/Sport Organizations (Respect in Sport), Schools and the Workplace, Respect Group has certified over 1,000,000 Canadians.

RESPECT GROUP EN APPELLE À UNE PLUS GRANDE IMPUTABILITÉ POUR GARDER LE SPORT CANADIEN À L’ABRI DE LA MALTRAITANCÉ

6 juin 2018

Respect Group salue la bravoure des anciens membres de l’équipe nationale de ski, Amélie-Frédérique Gagnon, Gail Kelly, Anna Prchal et Geneviève Simard et les nombreuses autres femmes qui ont dévoilé leur histoire et partagé leur objectif commun en réclamant une sécurité accrue en sport. Elles  représentent une multitude de victimes passées, et leurs voix ont déjà inspiré d’autres personnes courageuses à se manifester.

Respect Group applaudit également le leadership de B2dix, l’Association canadienne des entraîneurs, le Centre de règlement des différends sportifs du Canada et le Centre canadien de protection de l’enfance pour avoir porté ce sujet critique au premier plan et exigé un sport exempt de  maltraitance. Ces recommandations comprennent :

• Une formation en ligne obligatoire sur les droits, les responsabilités, les obligations et la sensibilisation des athlètes, des entraîneurs, des fournisseurs de services professionnels et de la direction;
• L’élaboration, l’adoption et l’adhésion aux politiques et procédures visant à prévenir toutes les formes de maltraitance;
• Un canal indépendant offert à toutes les parties pour partager les préoccupations lorsque des problèmes surviennent;
• La règle de deux : s’assurer, dans la mesure du possible, que les jeunes athlètes ne soient pas seuls avec un entraîneur ou tout membre du personnel pendant une période prolongée.

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Respect Group a été constitué le 5 avril 2004 par les cofondateurs Sheldon Kennedy et Wayne McNeil pour poursuivre une passion commune: la prévention de l’intimidation, de l’abus, du harcèlement et de la discrimination. Offrant des programmes de certification pour les organismes communautaires / sportifs (Respect et sport), les écoles et le milieu de travail, Respect Group a certifié plus de 1,000,000 de Canadiens.

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