London, Ont. police to review investigation of alleged sex assault after Hockey Canada event
Posted July 20, 2022 4:43 pm.
Last Updated July 20, 2022 4:53 pm.
Police in London, Ont., have ordered an internal review of their investigation into an alleged sexual assault involving members of Canada’s 2018 world junior hockey team.
Hockey Canada, meanwhile, says it will no longer use a fund maintained by membership fees collected across the country to settle sexual assault claims.
London police chief Steve Williams says in a statement his department’s review will determine if any “additional investigative avenues may exist.”
He adds the original investigation, which concluded without charges, was “lengthy and detailed.”
The Delta London Armouries Hotel, where the assault allegedly occurred on June 19, 2018, is located at 325 Dundas St. in London.
According to testimony by Hockey Canada officials in Ottawa at the end of June, they contacted London Police “between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.” on the day they were notified about the incident.
In his statement, Williams confirmed that London Police concluded its investigation into the matter in February 2019 and no criminal charges were laid.
Hockey Canada’s so-called “National Equity Fund” came to light this week as the federation continues to deal with the fallout from an alleged sexual assault at an event four years involving eight unnamed players and the subsequent out-of-court settlement.
On Tuesday, a Hockey Canada spokesperson confirmed to Sportsnet the existence of the fund, which it said “covers a broad range of expenses related to safety, wellness and equity initiatives across our organization” and includes claims “not otherwise covered by insurance policies, including those related to physical injury, harassment, and sexual misconduct.”
Hockey Canada says in a statement that effective immediately, the fund “will be exclusively dedicated towards safety, wellness and equity initiatives, as well as insurance across our organization” — activities which comprised 98 per cent of its resources between 2014 and 2021.
With files from Sportsnet
