'I was appalled': Major sponsors distance themselves from Hockey Canada amid allegations
The governing body of Canada's national pastime has lost three major sponsors following an alleged sexual assault scandal.
On Tuesday, Scotiabank and Telus announced they were pausing their sponsorship of Hockey Canada due to an investigation of a 2018 sexual assault allegation against members of Canada's world junior hockey team.
Canadian Tire went one step further, saying it's withdrawing its financial support for the upcoming world junior tournament in Moncton and Halifax.
An unidentified woman filed a lawsuit in April claiming she was repeatedly assaulted in a hotel room in London, On, after a Hockey Canada golf tournament and gala event.
The woman alleged in her lawsuit some of the men who attacked her were members of the 2018 gold-medal-winning team from four years ago.
Hockey Canada has since reportedly settled the lawsuit for an unknown amount and the allegations against the players have never been proven.
In a statement released Tuesday, Scotiabank Cheif Executive Officer Brian Porter said in part;
“I was appalled by the recent reports of alleged assault involving younger ambassadors of Canada’s game.”
“The alleged behaviour in this current case is contrary to the beliefs and values that hockey is meant to embody, and those that we champion at Scotiabank, as Canada’s hockey bank.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said they are watching the situation closely.
"We're certainly calling on Hockey Canada to be more transparent. More transparency is what's needed for sure. We made a commitment to the World Juniors at Christmas time and that commitment stands," said Houston.
Freelance journalist Will MacLaren covers the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for The Hockey News. The Halifax-based writer doesn't believe the world juniors are in jeopardy but thinks some fans may stay away from Team Canada's games.
"I think that's a distinct possibility and I think that ties in as well with what we're seeing with the sponsorship situation," said MacLaren.
"To be perfectly blunt, perhaps there's some people within the Hockey Canada community that will feel a greater impact if they were hit in the wallet than if they were based on personal feelings."
Craig Eagles has been involved in hockey all his life, as a player, coach, broadcaster and as a junior scout. He calls the current situation a black eye for Hockey Canada.
"With so many sponsors pulling out, especially from a federal standpoint as well, Hockey Canada might struggle. Will they struggle from a hockey product on the ice? No, it's every kid's dream to play for Canada, for their country. But, financially this is going to hurt," said Eagles.
The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship is set to begin on Boxing Day at Moncton's Avenir Centre and Halifax's Scotiabank Centre.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.