Hockey Sask. investigating after racist slurs allegedly directed at Indigenous players
Hockey Saskatchewan is investigating an alleged incident involving two U15 teams that faced off in a tournament in Shellbrook over the weekend.
Racist slurs were directed at members of the Stanley Mission U15 Riverhawks by an opposing U15 team from Tisdale, according to Devin Bernatchez, a Lac La Ronge Indian Band councillor.
"It’s time (Hockey Saskatchewan) take a strong stand against racism in hockey and suspend players, coaches and officials who promote and allow hate and ignorance in the game," Bernatchez said in a message posted on social media earlier this week.
"I put up with this back when I played hockey, our kids don’t need to put up with it, they just want to have fun playing the game they love."
In an email to CTV News, Hockey Saskatchewan general manager Kelly McClintock said the organization has "received the allegations" and is conducting an investigation.
The Tisdale Minor Hockey Association also said it's aware of the allegations and is "cooperating fully with Hockey Saskatchewan's investigation into the matter."
In a follow-up post, Bernatchez said he has since received a phone call from a Hockey Saskatchewan board member which he described as "supportive."
"I hope those who experience racism in hockey speak out and don’t brush it under the rug," Bernatchez said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.