The Port Moody family say their daughter is reconsidering her participation in minor hockey following an incident of cyberbullying with a teammate.

But they are not so much concerned with specific incidents; instead they feel the system for resolving complaints is less transparent and stacked to protect the sport than its participants.

Claudia and Adam Fiorentino said their daughter’s fourth season in the Tri-Cities Women’s Ice Hockey Association was marred by several comments made in the team chat group following the tournament in Victoria. But when they brought the incident to the association’s attention, “they seemed to spend a lot of time looking for reasons rather than focusing on consequences,” Claudia Fiorentino said adding families were advised to choose their battles.

‘Ignore it’

Adam Fiorentino said they ran into the same thing when they escalated their complaint to the Pacific Amateur Hockey Association and BC Hockey.

“These government agencies ignore it,” he said. “In the end, they did nothing for us.”

In an e-mail to Three Cities NewsTCFIHA president, Heather Fox, said the incident had been investigated by three separate entities, including the association’s own disciplinary committee, Hockey BC ombudsman, and Hockey Canada’s independent third-party investigators.

“Each of these investigations independently determined that no abuse occurred,” Fox said, adding he was unable to provide further comment.

What are the state regulations

The TCFIHA rules state that players, coaches, officials and even parents are expected to adhere to a code of conduct that “sets down the minimum standards that we expect all members to uphold.”

Additionally, the association defines harassment as “behavior by one person towards another that is humiliating, intimidating, humiliating, malicious, demeaning or offensive” that “creates negative feelings that are uncomfortable for the person, or group of people, to whom it is directed. .”

The TCFIHA bylaws also state that it does not tolerate cyberbullying, as well as sexual, emotional, and physical harassment or abuse.

Complaints that cannot be resolved by the team manager are referred to a three-person disciplinary committee consisting of the associate risk manager, the vice president and one board member appointed by the president, or three association members “as deemed necessary to be impartial and impartial.”

Fiorentino’s said the self-regulating nature of the sport made it difficult to achieve transparency in resolving disputes.

“We feel like we created more work for them,” said Adam Fiorentino. “They make you feel like you’re on trial.”

More complaints

James Rae, president of the Pacific Amateur Hockey Association which governs minor hockey on the Lower Mainland, did not respond to requests for comment from Three Cities Newsbut in an email to Fiorentino’s, he said there had been an “increase in issues related to conduct, complaints of abuse, discipline, and the like.”

He said outside factors such as the pandemic and current economic uncertainties “have shortened the fuse and made it more difficult for volunteers and parents to maintain a positive collegial environment,” prompting families to seek legal counsel if they do not find satisfaction from local associations.

BC Hockey told Fiorentino’s that their complaint was forwarded to an independent ombudsman who found it “does not fall under BC Hockey’s harassment policy” and Hockey Canada’s Independent Third Party assessor said it had no jurisdiction to try the complaint because it “did not allege violations on behalf of a member or participant.” organization.”

Claudia Fiorentino said the vague nature of the response felt more like passing money.

“There’s so much hype to make it fun and inclusive, but when something happens that threatens the idea, nothing is done about it,” he said.

Work to make sport more compassionate

Sarah-Eve Pelletier, head of the Office of the Canadian Sport Integrity Commissioner set up in 2022 to ensure sport at all levels in the country is conducted in a “compassionate, efficient and fair manner,” said it was important for sports organizations to have good governance that includes a set of rules for setting expectations when things go awry.

“Everyone benefits from having a process to look into these matters with transparency,” he said, adding that there was growing talk that the complaints process should involve an outside, independent mechanism.

But, says Pelletier, that can be a challenge for the small grassroots associations most of which are run out of a dedicated volunteer spirit.

The answer, he says, may be a number of organizations working together to produce a process that they all have access to.

Pelletier said his group is working to facilitate those efforts by providing resource education programs.

“We have to be there to accompany them as part of the process,” he said. “It’s important to have a strong system to build trust. If people fear the consequences if they speak up, it will only make things worse.”

Weighing options

Fiorentino said while their daughter has largely put the trauma of the cyberbullying incident behind her, she is considering her options for next season. He probably signed up for boys’ hockey because there was less “drama.”

“He loves this sport,” says Claudia Fiorentino. “It’s just about fun, exercise and friendship.”

Adam Fiorentino says if their daughters decide to return to hockey, they will do so with their eyes open and hope that by making their experiences public, a spark for change can be ignited.

“It’s about going forward and making sure these things are handled in the right way.”

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