The Big Story 2025-2026
Sports and Sexual Violence: The Hockey Canada Trial
This year, the Hockey Canada trial was an incredibly significant and disheartening moment, for SACE and for the community we support. This case illustrated what survivors are up against: a system where the accused may remain silent and be presumed innocent, while complainants are dissected, doubted, and demeaned at every turn. Rape myths continue to interfere with the ability to assess evidence fairly.
Survivors are judged not on the facts, but on how well their behaviour aligns with preconceived ideas of how a “real” victim should act. There can be no justice when credibility is denied simply because trauma does not look how the court expects it to.
We must change the conditions that make the legal system itself a source of harm. We need systems that centre care, honour survivors’ truths, and dismantle the environments that devalue, ignore, and blame them. We need a culture that shows up for survivors not just when the news cycle demands it, but every single day.
May 15, 2025
SACE issues a statement on the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial proceedings, the incredible strength and courage of EM, victim-blaming and rape myths, and the need to ensure the dignity and wellbeing of the complainant in sexual assault cases.
July 24, 2025
SACE issues a statement on the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial verdict, its impacts, thoughts on a deeply flawed legal process and rollbacks in trauma-informed legal practices, and the change needed in hockey and sport culture more broadly.
Media coverage of the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial
How individuals and organizations can take action
New Course: Sports and Sexual Violence
The Public Education (PE) team began work on a major project to create a new online course titled Sports and Sexual Violence. Scholarly research informed the course’s content and was supplemented by the PE team‘s own primary research to help capture the prevalence of the issue. This research took the form of a survey that explored issues such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, and non-consensual photo sharing within sports settings. Created for Alberta residents 18 years of age or over and distributed to community members and various sports organizations across the province, the project team will be analyzing the survey results as it continues with development of this responsive and innovative new course.
This project was initiated in response to public allegations of sexual assault involving Hockey Canada players. The course remains in development as the project team continues to review survey feedback from community members and sport organizations across Alberta
Heavy Hockey Showdown
For the past four years, Heavy Hockey Showdown has brought together hockey players, survivors, donors, and community members in support of SACE to prevent and respond to sexual violence. This year, the event reached a significant milestone, raising $50,000 for SACE to help sustain and expand critical programs and services. Beyond the funds raised, this longstanding partnership continues to strengthen connections across the community and demonstrates the potential for continued growth in both revenue generation and community impact. Each year, the Heavy Hockey Showdown creates an opportunity for the hockey community to take meaningful action in support of survivors and the work of SACE.
The impact of Heavy Hockey extends well beyond the rink. The event has helped increase public awareness and engagement around sexual violence prevention, with local media outlets including Global, CTV, and Citytv featuring multiple segments leading up to and on the day of the event. This coverage amplified both the event and the work of SACE, and ultimately brought greater visibility to the importance of consent, healthy relationships, and survivor support. Most importantly, the partnership reflects a growing commitment within the hockey and sport community to change the narrative around sexual violence and build a culture rooted in consent, accountability, and respect. Heavy Hockey Showdown demonstrates the powerful role that sport can play in creating meaningful social change.
Beyond Hockey:
Leadership in Edmonton's Baseball Community
SACE collaborated with the Edmonton Riverhawks Baseball Club to provide education sessions focused on consent and sexual violence prevention. This engagement reflected the club’s commitment to fostering respectful, safe, and healthy team environments. SACE Public Education and Institutional Support staff co-facilitated two sessions, one for the senior varsity team and one for the junior varsity team. This provided athletes with opportunities to build their knowledge and skills around consent, healthy relationships, and sexual violence prevention.
Sports teams have an important role to play in challenging sexual violence and the attitudes, behaviours, and social norms that can contribute to it. Sport is a powerful community and cultural environment, particularly for young people, where teammates, coaches, and leaders can shape expectations around respect, consent, healthy relationships, and accountability. When sports organizations engage in public education on consent, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention, they make it clear that preventing sexual violence is important to them. These actions can help create environments where people feel empowered to speak up, challenge harmful behaviour, and support one another. When teams publicly commit to this work, they also have an opportunity to influence the broader culture of sport by modelling what safer, more respectful team environments can look like. Over time, visible leadership from sports organizations, like the Edmonton Riverhawks, can help shift conversations, challenge harmful norms, and contribute to meaningful cultural change both within sport and in the wider community.