The NCD/OSZ boards believes that everyone has the right to enjoy the sport of ski racing at whatever level or position they participate. Athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers have the right to participate in a safe and inclusive training and competitive environment that is free of abuse, harassment and discrimination.
The Coaching Association of Canada’s Safe Sport Training is currently available, and required training for all of our coaches. However, the responsibility to create a culture and environment where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility and will require our collective effort.
To this end, we are happy to announce that our collective region has prioritized rolling out the Safe Sport program with a focused effort on developing a roadmap for training, updated codes of conduct and the addition of a new role in our region, Safe Sport Officer.
The NCD and OSZ boards have committed to completing the training over the next month and have made this training a mandatory requirement for board members going forward.
In addition, we are establishing a committee of 5-6 individuals from across NCD/OSZ who will be responsible for planning, driving and developing the following deliverables required to meet our goal of rollout for the 2022 ski season:
- Update Code of Conduct for our collective region including ensuring alignment with any policies, procedures and codes of conduct by other governing bodies within our region (eg The SQA Policy and Code of Conduct published Feb 1, 2021)
- Define Roles and Responsibilities of the Safe Sport Officer
- Assist in Recruitment of Safe Sport Officer candidates for 2022
We encourage all our parents to get involved with this ground breaking effort. We are seeking as diverse a group as possible. If you are interested in contributing to this effort as part of this committee, please submit your name and a brief reason explaining why you would like to be considered to Mark Somers(OSZ) or Mary Van Buren (NCD) by Feb, 23, 2021. All nominations will be considered by our selection committee.
In the interim, we encourage you to increase your awareness of Safe Sport by completing the training which is free and available here.
Thank you and we look forward with working with all of our members in ensuring everyone involved in ski racing in our region can thrive and perform their best in an environment free of maltreatment.
Mary Van Buren and Mark Somers
Presidents, NCD and OSZ
February 5, 2021
