Hockey Nova Scotia is taking discrimination in the sport head on. Prompted by recent reports of
discrimination in hockey both internationally and closer to home, it has announced the creation of a Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, made up of individuals from under-represented communities in the game. Hockey Nova Scotia says the task force will help it inform its policies and procedures to ensure the rink is safe and welcoming for everyone.
One local member of the task force is Waycobah Band Councillor Steven Googoo. Others of note named to the task force include Levi Denny, Team Mi’kmaw Nova Scotia Chef de Mission; Hockey Nova Scotia Black Youth Ice Hockey Program Lead Dean Smith and Chuck Dauphinee, Team Founder of the Halifax Mussels, a hockey program for LGBTQ players and their supporters.
The announcement comes on the heels of allegations that a 16-year-old Indigenous hockey player from the Waycobah First nation was subjected to racial slurs during a game in Cheticamp on Sunday.