The City of North Bay says it will be doing some retrofitting to some of the hockey arena dressing rooms to address a new Hockey Canada policy which was unveiled just last week.
"City staff will be taking steps if necessary to create private spaces in dressing rooms at our existing arenas – which are not equipped with private washrooms or showers – by installing rods and curtains in rooms without doors; and it is anticipated that local youth associations will be utilizing dressing room monitors to ensure compliance with the Hockey Canada rule," stated Gord Young, communications officer with the City.
The City had to retrofit dressing room areas for hockey players during the COVID-19 pandemic at Pete Palangio and Memorial Gardens when players had to come fully dressed into the arena due to pandemic protocols.
Hockey Canada has implemented a new policy for the 2023-24 minor hockey season, including a "minimum attire rule," with the goal of respecting privacy and making dressing environments more inclusive.
Hockey Canada did not clarify how this policy came about when asked for comment from The Canadian Press.
“Hockey Canada’s Dressing Room Policy, which will be implemented for the 2023-24 season, was designed to enhance the safety of all participants through proper supervision and minimum attire requirements," Hockey Canada said in a statement.
"All participants have the right to utilize the dressing room or appropriate and equivalent dressing environment based on their gender identity, religious beliefs, body image concerns, and/or other reasons related to their individual needs."
The “minimum attire rule” requires that players be wearing a base layer in a dressing room when surrounded by at least one other person.
The policy, which applies to all minor hockey teams sanctioned by Hockey Canada and its member associations, recommends that players arrive at the arena wearing that base layer.
Should a player arrive without it, they're to get changed in a private area, such as a bathroom stall, before joining the rest of the team in the dressing room and putting on their equipment.
Hockey Canada states it's the responsibility of coaches and team staff to ensure players follow the policy.
As part of the policy, Hockey Canada is also introducing a "rule of two," requiring two trained and screened adults to be present in or directly outside (with an open door) the dressing room at once "to ensure it is free of any discrimination, harassment, bullying, or other forms of maltreatment."
See related: Experts puzzled by Hockey Canada's 'minimum attire' ruling in dressing rooms
Scott Huycke, president of the North Bay and District Trappers AAA Hockey Association says the new policy surprised many.
"It for sure caught everyone off guard and initially the way our association and every other association found out about it was through media and social media," said Huycke, who is also an assistant coach with the U12 AAA Trappers team.
"Last week we were sent the official OHF bulletin in regards to this decision. As an association, we have notified all our coaches to share the bulletin with the parents and players," he continued.
Huycke says his association's board members and coaches will be taking part in three information-sharing seminars which will take place in the next few weeks finishing up in early November.
"We will attend those and hopefully receive some more direction through these sessions. However, in the bulletin, it alludes to the fact that this may be a difficult ask in some arenas. So hearing that the City of North Bay is taking a look at retrofitting dressing rooms is going to be a help for sure in trying to implement this. But it is definitely not going to be an easy implementation that is for sure.
"We are simply encouraging our coaches to share the information and bulletin with players and parents and, at this point, parents can decide and educate their sons or daughters on what the new protocol is and try to adhere to it as best as they can."
BayToday reached out to the North Bay Girls Minor Hockey Association along with the North Bay Minor Hockey Association but did not get a reply before our publication deadline.
With files from the Canadian Press
