DARTMOUTH – Developing new training frameworks, increasing representation, revising the organization’s constitution, and establishing a new member code of conduct are among the nine recommendations released today by the Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity & Inclusion Task Force and presented to Hockey Nova Scotia’s board of directors. Recommendations cover areas such as cost, structure, racism, visibility, education, off-ice issues, programming, structure, and accessibility.

In the fall of 2020, Hockey Nova Scotia launched an innovative digital engagement process seeking public feedback in making the sport of hockey more welcoming, diverse, and inclusive for everyone. In total, 841 people in Nova Scotia shared their stories and submitted solutions for improving the game.

To read the final report, please click here.

“People came forward with excellent ideas on how to make hockey more accessible and welcoming,” task force chair Dean Smith said. “These ideas didn’t only come from those who are currently in the game, but also from those who have left the game, or were never attracted to it in the first place.”

The Hockey Nova Scotia Diversity & Inclusion Task Force was formed in December 2019 in response to local and international incidents involving discrimination in the sport. The mandate of the group was to make informed recommendations to the board of directors on what can be done to address these issues.

“The task force was made up of a group of very inspiring individuals who were completely dedicated to this work,” said Hockey Nova Scotia executive director Amy Walsh said. “It was important to our organization that the leadership in this process did not come from the usual places. This was more than ethnic diversity, it’s diversity in every sense of the word.”

The Hockey Nova Scotia board of directors also approved three real-time recommendations, one of which was the creation of a permanent position on the board dedicated to issues surrounding diversity and inclusion.

“Although it can be uncomfortable to discuss, racism and discrimination do exist in society, and hockey is not exempt,” Hockey Nova Scotia president Arnie Farrell said. “We have a responsibility to do everything we can to better our game and make it more welcoming for both new players and our current members. Hockey has the power to produce not only great athletes, but great leaders and people, too. To grow our sport and to ensure more people enjoy these benefits, we need to be more inclusive.”