RINGETTE CANADA IS JOINING ABUSE-FREE SPORT  

OTTAWA – Ringette Canada is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to join Abuse-Free Sport on May 1st, 2023, the new independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport. Exciting progress is being made towards building a safe and more inclusive sport system for ringette participants.

 

Ringette Canada, and its stakeholders at the National level, will have access to the services of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC), which serves as the central hub of Abuse-Free Sport.

 

“We are happy to have joined Abuse-Free Sport and to soon have the OSIC to administer our safe sport complaints,” said Ringette Canada Executive Director Julie Vézina. “All of the hard work done regarding the development, implementation and successful execution of this new mechanism has been a priority for our community for many years. We look forward to collaborating with the OSIC and creating a safer sport experience for all.”

 

During the transition period, Ringette Canada will be making the required policy changes, as well as completing a full adoption of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), which it must do before it can become part of the Abuse-Free Sport program.

 

Ringette Canada members who have experienced or witnessed abuse will continue to have access to our independent third-party services – which can be reached at this email address: safesport_wwdrs@primus.ca

 

There is more information about the Abuse-Free Sport program HERE, on the OSIC .

 

About Abuse-Free Sport

Abuse-Free Sport is an independent program that is part of a growing national movement to rid Canadian sport of all forms of harassment, discrimination and abuse. As a Program Signatory, Ringette Canada is an active player in this movement.

Unlike the previous approach, where each national sport organization created its own system for dealing with complaints of maltreatment, this is a centralized “one-stop shop.” It is independent and led by experts in their fields, using education and research to prevent maltreatment at all levels of sport.