Hockey Canada Co-Ed Dressing Room Policy, News (Owen Sound Minor Hockey Group)

Hockey Canada firmly believes in accommodating both genders in our great game. We further believe in balancing this goal with the safety, privacy, modesty and wishes of ALL our members without compromising the aspects of camaraderie, social integration and bonding inherent in a team sport. This policy attempts to meet all these goals while providing a safe and respectful environment for our participants.

1. Hockey Canada stresses the importance of coaches in ensuring both male and female players have equal access to pre and post team sessions and to all team related activities.

2. Hockey Canada recognizes the physical limitations of some facilities and encourages our members to work with local facility management to ensure that appropriate changing facilities are available to both genders.

3. Hockey Canada allows co-ed dressing room situations to exist at the Initiation Program, Novice and Atom levels, 5-10 years of age provided participants in a co-ed situation either arrive in full equipment or wear at a minimum gym shorts or long underwear as well as a full t-shirt [no tank tops] all of which must be in good condition and without holes/tears.

4. At the Pee-Wee [11 years old] level and above the following conditions will apply in all co-ed team environments:
- Females and males will change in separate rooms
- Both genders shall congregate in one dressing room fully prepared to participate in the game/practice not more than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled ice time unless otherwise indicated [to be there earlier] by the coaching staff.
- The lesser represented gender shall depart the dressing room not more than 15 minutes after the game/practice unless otherwise indicated [to stay longer] by the coaching staff.
- The gender in the majority shall not begin changing, helmets, gloves and skates excepted, prior to the departure of the lesser represented gender.
- When necessary, due to facility limitations, dressing and showering shall be done in shifts with the gender in the majority dressing and showering first. Once the room with shower facilities has been fully vacated the lesser represented gender may use the shower facilities.

It is the belief of Hockey Canada that these provisions adequately address issues of team unity/camaraderie and provide for the modesty/privacy of all participants.

Note: Hockey Canada Branches that have mediated Human Rights settlements within their Province/Territory with respect to specific co-ed dressing room parameters are exempted from this policy within their jurisdictions and may continue to adhere to previously mediated settlements.