by Kevin Lawrie. Organizations and individuals are frequently re-learning that posting something on social media ensures the near-permanent existence of that material. A tweet that is posted six months ago can be easily found by an intrepid researcher. A picture that is posted to Facebook never really goes away. These reasons underscore why we need [...]
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Harassment Issues in Sport – from 1994 to 2012
In 1994, Rachel Corbett wrote a handbook on Harassment in Sport that was distributed to NSOs and other amateur sport organizations around the country. As part of our 20th anniversary of service to the Canadian amateur sport industry, we thought it might be interesting to post the handbook and ask Rachel about the evolutionary changes [...]
Tripped Up By Tape
by Hilary A. Findlay. Sometimes the most innocuous situations create the biggest problems. This was true in a recent case that took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Thanks to Andre Gallant, CEO of the YMCA of Cape Breton, for sending along details of the case and the comment. The case involved tape on the floor [...]
Reflections on Penn State, Scouts Canada and Graham James
By Rachel Corbett. I have just finished reading Theo Fleury’s book, Playing With Fire. I have owned this book for two years, but never took it off my shelf. However, in the wake of the Penn State sex abuse scandal, and the revelation that Scouts Canada has been quietly keeping it’s own registry of pedophiles, [...]
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) – Compliance
Beginning January 1, 2012, all providers of goods and services within the province of Ontario, including charities and not-for-profit organizations will be required to comply with parts of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This legislation affects every Ontario PSO, as well as MSOs and NSOs that have offices in Ontario. The AODA [...]
Violence and Harassment in the Workplace – Compliance
Last month we gave a presentation to the membership of the Sport Alliance of Ontario (SAO) relating to the requirements of the newly legislated provincial Bill 168 – Workplace Violence and Harassment. This topic generated numerous questions and made us realize that many NSOs, PSOs and MSOs may have not yet taken the necessary steps [...]
Proposed Changes to the Income Tax Act to Affect RCAAAs
by Rachel Corbett. The federal government is in the final stages of reviewing changes to the Income Tax Act that will affect Registered Canadian Amateur Athletic Associations (RCAAAs). The impetus for these changes is the revocation of charitable status from a number of NSOs in recent years (see Football Canada and the Tax Man). It [...]
Important Lessons for NSOs in Recent CAS Decision
by Hilary Findlay. What can Canadian sport organizations learn from a recent decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)? As it turns out, a lot, at least from one of its most recent decisions rendered on October 4, 2011 (CAS 2011/0/2422 USOC v. IOC). First, a quick discussion of the decision, then a [...]
Avoiding Uncertainty in Policies and Contracts
By Hilary Findlay. We know … writing and reading policy documents and contracts can be boring and tedious. I can attest to this as I have spent the last several months as a member of a team negotiating a collective bargaining agreement at a Canadian University. But these documents are important and they are essential [...]
International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Paves the Way in Creating a More Inclusive Sport Environment
By Rachel Corbett. I am in Ottawa this weekend participating in the centennial celebrations of the Canadian PGA, and I had the opportunity to have lunch with my friend and colleague Moira Lassen, who is an international official with the sport of weightlifting and a member of the IWF’s Technical Committee. Moira had just returned [...]
