Hockey New Brunswick to withhold player fees from Hockey Canada
Add another to the list.
In a statement provided to The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy, Hockey New Brunswick has said that it will not pay its $3 per player participant fees to Hockey Canada.
Hockey New Brunswick just sent me a revised statement. They have now joined Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia in withholding fees from Hockey Canada @HockeyNB pic.twitter.com/5vqpRQ6rRI
— Ian Kennedy (@IanKennedyCK) October 7, 2022This follows in the footsteps of Hockey Quebec and Hockey Nova Scotia. The Ontario Hockey Federation also put in a formal request this week asking Hockey Canada to not take the fees.
Earlier in the day, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs said the province is closely monitoring the situation with Hockey Canada. New Brunswick is set to co-host the 2023 World Junior Championship with Nova Scotia. Higgs said it’s possible they could cut ties with the event altogether.
“We have considered it… But we’ll do that jointly with our colleagues in Nova Scotia, because there wouldn’t be a separate decision made,” Higgs told reporters.
On Thursday, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston tweeted that “the work required to earn back the trust of Canadians needs to be transformational”. He also said the province wants to see “meaningful changes” before the tournament moves forward.
The comments come after Hockey Canada returned to face scrutiny this week from the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. On Tuesday, former Hockey Canada board chair Michael Brind’Amour and interim chair Andrea Skinner faced tough questions, including CEO Scott Smith had not been fired over the company’s handling of alleged sexual assaults.
Earlier this week, Canadian Tire became the first sponsor to fully back out of funding Hockey Canada. Others like Tim Hortons and Scotiabank have elected to suspend funding for men’s teams.