Hockey Canada has paid out $7.6 million in sexual abuse settlements from dedicated fund since 1989

CEO Scott Smith says he will not resign, despite calls for him to step down.
Hockey Canada executives told a House of Commons committee Wednesday that nine complainants alleging sexual abuse have received $7.6 million in settlements since 1989 from a dedicated fund maintained in part by membership fees. Hockey Canada CEO Scott Smith told the standing committee on Canadian Heritage that he will not resign from his position. He told MPs he’s capable of creating change within the embattled organization. Hockey Canada chief financial officer Brian Cairo told the committee that of the $7.6 million, $6.8 million was for settlements related to Graham James, a former junior hockey coach convicted of sexually assaulting young hockey players.
Cairo said the fund is generated by Hockey Canada membership fees and investments. Both Cairo and Smith defended the existence of the fund, saying it’s necessary because the organization’s insurance won’t cover all types of claims. Cairo cited the James case as an example.“The insurance companies were not going to insure us for those types of instances,” Cairo told the committee. But Cairo later said Hockey Canada settled an additional 12 sexual misconduct claims during the same time period with $1.3 million paid through insurance. “We haven’t used the money to protect our image. We’ve used the money to respond [to] and support victims … so we’ve used the money to support families,” Smith said.
Source: cbc.ca/news