Safe Sport

The Oakville Aquatic Club believes that everyone; swimmers, coaches, officials and volunteers have the right to participate in a safe and inclusive training and competitive environment that is free of abuse, harassment or discrimination.

OAK SAFE SPORT COMPLAINT FORM - The OAK Safe Sport Complaint Form is designed for members to report any concerns, issues, or incidents related to Safe Sport violations. Please ensure that all reports are as detailed as possible to help us address the issue effectively. Your report will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and seriousness to ensure a safe and supportive environment for everyone involved.

Important Contacts:

  • The Canadian Sports Helpline
    1-888-837-7678 - [email protected] - http://abuse-free-sport.ca/en/
    The helpline will provide you with advice, guidance and resources on how to proceed/intervene appropriately in the circumstances.

  • Canadian Centre for Child Protection
    1-800-532-9135 - protectchildren.ca/
    If you have concerns about a child, or if you are a victim (survivor) or a family member of a victim, you may contact the Canadian Centre for Child Protection for information or support.

  • Kids Help Phone

    1-800-688-6868 - http://kidshelpphone.ca/
    Kids Help Phone is Canada’s only 24/7 national service offering professional counselling, information, referrals and volunteer-led text-based support for young people. Kids Help Phone’s free, anonymous services are available in both English and French.

  • First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness
    1-855-242-3310 or hopeforwellness.ca/
    A helpline dedicated to supporting First Nations and Inuit Peoples. Service is available in Cree, Ojibway, Inuktitut, English and French.

  • Trans Lifeline
    1-877-330-6366 or translifeline.org/
    A helpline dedicated to the well-being of transgender people. The phone line is staffed by transgender people for transgender people.

  • Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addition (CCSA)

    1-833-235-4048 - ccsa.ca/addictions-treatment-helplines-canada 

    The Centre was created by the Canadian government to address and provide leadership on substance use in Canada.


  • Victim Services Government of Canada
    1-877-232-2610 - http://crcvc.ca/how-we-help/victim-support
    The Canadian government provides a number of services to victims of crime, including emotional support, counselling, advocacy and safety planning.

  • Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP)
    613-702-4446 - suicideprevention.ca/
    CASP’s goal is to reduce the suicide rate in Canada and to minimize the consequences of suicidal behaviour.

  • Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES)
    https://cces.ca
    CCES is committed to working collaboratively to activate a values-based and principle-driven sport system; protecting the integrity of sport from the negative forces of doping and other unethical threats; and advocating for sport that is fair, safe and open to everyone.

  • Swimming Canada Safe Sport Officer - [email protected]
    You may contact the Independent Safe Sport Official at [email protected]. This person is an independent third party who will guide you through the complaints process and/or explore other options. This Independent Official is empowered to supersede Swimming Canada staff and launch appropriate policies as required based on evidence or a situation reported. Your contact with the Safe Sport Official is confidential, subject to certain legal limits. The independent Safe Sport Official is a certified workplace harassment resources/investigator.

Rowan's Law: Concussion Awareness Resources

On July 1, 2019 the Ontario Government introduced Rowan’s Law. Rowan Stringer was a teenager who died after suffering two concussions within a week while playing rugby. The legislation provides governance for the management of youth concussions in all sports.

Rowan’s Law makes it mandatory for OAK to:

1.  ensure that athletes under 26 years of age, parents of athletes under 18, coaches, team trainers and officials confirm every year that they have reviewed Ontario’s Concussion Awareness Resources,

2.  establish a Concussion Policy that sets out guidelines to support concussion prevention,

3.  establish Removal-from-Sport and Return-to-Sport protocols

OAK must collect confirmation from each swimmer and their parent acknowledging that Rowan’s Law: Concussion Awareness Resources have been reviewed.

Please read Rowan's Law: Concussion Awareness Resources.

Please read Rowan's Law: Concussion Code of Conduct

The OAK Policy Manual includes a Concussion Policy which aligns with the provisions of Rowan’s Law. For more detailed information on the OAK Policy Manual go to the OAK Board Documents webpage.

 

 

OAK Discipline and Complaint and Dispute Resolution Policies

Please see the OAK Policy Manual for these policies.

Canadian Sport Policies

The Canadian sport and physical activity sector is influenced by a number of diverse policy areas, including sport, physical activity and recreation; health; infrastructure; and diversity, equity and inclusion. The collection of resources below provides information about a current policy-related priorities, and a number of links to key publications.
sirc.ca/canadian-sport-policies/

Respect in Sport

Respect in Sport provides Safe Sport educational programs for all Swimming Canada participants, including coaches, officials, athletes, parents.

  • Respect in Sport Activity Leader
  • Respect in Sport for Parents
  • Respect in the Workplace

For more information on these programs, please click here.

Sport Safety

Resources for Coaches