Police to review investigation of alleged sex assault following Hockey Canada event

Hockey Canada paid $1.6M to crisis firm Navigator Hockey Canada revealed it has lost upwards of $24-million in corporate sponsorships over the sexual assault scandal.

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.”

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.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2022.