What is an SEA?

A Sport Environment Assessment (SEA), part of the Abuse-Free Sport Program, aims to both address and prevent maltreatment, discrimination and other prohibited behaviour related to the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). An SEA is designed to identify and remedy systemic issues, moving towards a culture of safety and well-being in sport.

Why is this SEA happening?

The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) has tasked an independent assessment team to conduct an SEA of Hockey Canada and hockey in Canada.

What is OSIC? 

OSIC administers the UCCMS as part of the Abuse-Free Sport program in Canada. The OSIC operates as an independent division of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), which was created by the Physical Activity and Sport Act (S.C. 2003, c.2). On July 6, 2021, the SDRCC was mandated by the Government of Canada to establish an independent mechanism to implement the UCCMS at the national level. The OSIC administers the UCCMS via two distinct processes: complaint management and sport environment assessments. The UCCMS can be accessed at this link.

Who is the OSIC-assigned Assessor of this SEA? 

Kyra Hudson has been appointed as the Lead Assessor for this SEA. Kyra is a lawyer, mediator, and investigator focused on supporting the development of respectful, high- functioning organizations. She has served in the Abuse-Free Sport Unit of Independent Assessors and Investigators since 2022 and is supported by a small SEA team.

What is the purpose of this SEA?

The sport of hockey plays a significant role in Canadian culture and communities, shaping the lives of millions of Canadians each year. While considerable work has been undertaken in recent years to improve the sport’s culture and practices, the SEA is an opportunity to look closely at and better understand the experiences of Canadian hockey participants in different parts of the hockey ecosystem. By identifying systemic issues that contribute to, or prevent, maltreatment, the SEA aims to inform and recommend actions that support well-being as part of a safer sport environment in hockey.

What was Phase One of the SEA?

Phase One of the SEA considered the current hockey landscape in Canada and the existing efforts to prevent maltreatment. Phase One included a review of relevant academic literature, other reviews, media and maltreatment reports and all relevant Hockey Canada policies. A Guidance Group of diverse hockey thought leaders was engaged to help inform the questions to be asked during the SEA and identify who the audience would be for these questions. The SEA Phase One Report was published by OSIC in July 2024 and includes a detailed outline of the SEA Phase Two Plan. The Phase One Report can be accessed at this link (PDF).

Why are we doing surveys as part of the SEA?

To understand the experiences and views of participants in a large and diverse hockey ecosystem, the SEA uses several different tools to canvas and engage with different members of the hockey community. One of the tools is a survey process (as set out in the SEA Phase One Report). The SEA team has partnered with Innerlogic, a leading Canadian culture analytics provider with extensive experience in sport, to customize their organizational culture survey tools for hockey.

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The surveys were developed by organizational behaviour and performance psychology experts, and field-tested in sport settings, to help shed light on each organization’s cultural DNA. The SEA surveys were designed by Innerlogic in collaboration with the SEA team and were specifically adapted for different parts of the hockey ecosystem in Canada. They look at two main dimensions: Performance – aspects of effective, excellence-oriented and developmental culture, and People – aspects of a supportive, safe and inclusive culture. Culture is a strong predictor of well-being, retention, engagement and long-term performance. Measuring these aspects in the surveys allows for a better understanding of the potential opportunities for achieving a healthy sport culture that supports well-being and high performance.

Why are we carrying out three different surveys?

The literature review conducted during Phase One of the SEA pointed to a connection between the risk and prevalence of maltreatment and issues in sport culture, both at the high-performance level and at the grassroots level. In other words, if we better

understand culture at each level of hockey, we can identify where there are risks of maltreatment and identify approaches to prevent maltreatment. The culture survey tools —that will be carried out with Hockey Canada, Member Branches and hockey participants across the country— allows for a comparison between different yet vital parts of the hockey ecosystem and to gauge if progress is being made over time.

In sport communities, the performance and people dimensions of organizations shape their values, priorities and how the organizations carry out their day-to-day operations. Surveys of three parts of Canada’s hockey community - Hockey Canada, each Member Branch, and of participants across Canada - will provide the SEA with a deeper profile and understanding of the cultures and values of each part of the hockey sport environment. This multifaceted understanding will shed light on where there is alignment between different parts of the hockey community and where there are differences. It will also identify opportunities to jointly strengthen a healthy culture that supports well-being across all parts of the sport and provides a benchmark or starting point to allow for checking back on progress at a future date. The SEA will use the feedback from these surveys to understand participants’ experiences and make recommendations to help create a more safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for current and future hockey participants.

Why are we asking hockey participants from across Canada to do a survey? 

The Hockey Culture Index – Participant survey canvasses experiences at the community and grassroots level. As a hockey participant, (including players, parents and guardians of players, coaches, officials, volunteers, and administrators) you represent the experiences and views from across the diverse hockey community in Canada. Your feedback in this survey will bring the realities of hockey at all levels and in all regions in Canada into the SEA and help to improve youth sport culture in hockey.

Why are we asking Member Branch leadership and staff to do a survey?

The Hockey Culture Index – Member Branch survey invites leadership and staff to reflect on their experiences and views of culture within your own Branch organization. As an employee or board member at the Member Branch level, your feedback in this survey allows the diverse landscape of hockey leaders across Canada to be accurately understood in the SEA.

Why are we asking Hockey Canada leadership and staff to do a survey?

The Hockey Culture Index – Hockey Canada survey invites leadership and staff of the national organization to reflect on their experiences and views of culture at the national level. As an employee or board member of Hockey Canada, your feedback in this survey allows the SEA to accurately understand the culture at the national level.

How long will it take to complete a survey?

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

What about privacy? How is my information handled? Who can see it?

Your survey responses are anonymous. We do not collect personally identifiable information to help ensure your privacy is protected. The information gathered during the SEA will be used to understand the current environment and culture within your area of hockey and identify areas to improve the sport environment. No individual from Hockey Canada or the OSIC can view individual responses from any part of the SEA, including survey and interview responses. For more information about the SEA Data and Privacy Policy, click here.

Interview Opportunity:

You are welcome to sign up to express interest to participate in an interview with a member of the SEA team. This is entirely voluntary and separate from your survey responses, and interview responses are anonymous. As the SEA has a limited amount of interviewing capacity, not all people who register interest in participating in an interview will be contacted and offered an interview.

Can I make a complaint here?

This SEA is not intended for filing complaints or reports about maltreatment in sport. If you have concerns of maltreatment, discrimination, or abuse about you or someone else and you want to talk about it, there is support available.

If you have concerns of maltreatment against a specific individual, you may file a Complaint through Hockey Canada’s Independent Third Party: 
complaints@sportcomplaints.ca or, 

https://app.alias-solution.com/contact/fr/ls41 (for Quebec Complaints).

If you are unsure about who to reach out to or want to speak in confidence, the Abuse-Free Sport Helpline operators can be reached by phone or text at: 1-888-837-7678 or by email at info@abuse-free-sport.ca or,

 info@sport-sans-abus.ca (en français).