Bullies beware.
That’s the message the Corner Brook Minor Hockey Association wants all players, parents and coaches to keep in mind when they participate in the program.
“There’s zero tolerance for bullying in minor hockey,” CBMHA president Jackie Simms said Monday morning.
Simms confirmed Monday the association has dealt with several incidents involving bullying over the past couple of years. Earlier this season year there was a serious incident where a group of players received a suspension for their part in bullying.
She said the local minor hockey association is committed to removing bullies from the game.
At the beginning of each minor hockey association season, she said a player receives a copy of the association’s code of conduct policy from the vice-president of the division the child is registering in for that particular season. Parents and the player review the policy, sign it and return it to the vice-president.
A committee, which is comprised of Simms, vice-president Kim Austin, risk manager Melanie Simms and the division vice-president for the player in question, are responsible for handling complaints filed with the association.
If it’s a minor incident then the committee deals with it in-house, but if it’s a serious incident of bullying the committee does the investigative work with the parties involved and sends a report to Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador, which will issue any sanctions it deems fit for the individual case presented.
There were a number of players who received suspensions from the committee in-house and this year there was one case of HNL having to hand out suspensions to those involved in the bullying.
Simms wants players to know that hockey is a fun activity and there’s no room for those who want to make it an uncomfortable environment for others.
“It’s time to put a stop to it,” she said. “Kids are rotten to each other sometimes.”
