With an ongoing investigation into Lloydminster Minor Hockey Association, the timing for a new policy which could potentially affect kids is convenient.
There is a litany of reasons parents may want to take legal action against a sports organization.
Money mismanagement, breach of trust, wrongful dismissal and not keeping kids safe are just a few examples.
The LMHA is an organization steeped in history. It has provided opportunities for countless generations to attain their dreams of playing elite-level hockey.
Players, such as Brayden Schenn, have even seen their journey end in the NHL.
So, imagine my surprise when they decided to come up with a bylaw out of the blue. It proposes an unsportsmanlike conduct suspension for the off-ice activities of their parents.
Taking legal action against the league could now result in your membership (and by proxy your child’s) possibly being suspended. Pitting a child’s future hockey career directly against justice in many parents’ minds.
One of the first things they tell you when it comes to children’s mental well-being is to keep them out of the middle. Children are never to be used as pawns for adults.
Dr. George Simon, a well-known psychologist has called the manipulative nature of using children as pawns, a cowardly act that harms the innocent party—the child.
He emphasizes this behaviour can lead to emotional and psychological damage later in life.
So why implement this proposal at an emergency meeting meant to fix by-laws around money management? Why not wait until your annual general meeting?
The way it’s written gives the appearance they are just trying to align policies with both Alberta and Canada Hockey. But after 66 years, can’t it wait a few more months?
What are they afraid of coming from the investigation which may lead to legal action?
Understandably, in a letter to parents, they stated they can’t comment on a current investigation.
Alas, I’m just an import from Ontario, giving a different perspective on issues in our community. In my opinion, they are covering their butts, we just don’t know why yet.
Read more: Opinion: Pte. Stephenson remembered
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