Ottawa – September 19, 2024 – The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) invites signatories and participants of the current Abuse-Free Sport Program to register for one of five virtual or in-person consultations on the next version of the Canadian Safe Sport Program. The draft procedural rules will be available in early October and the consultations will take place in November.
The CCES will assume responsibility for administering the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) as of April 1, 2025, and is currently in the process of reviewing its operations and considering revisions to the existing safe sport program.
In the last few months, the CCES has conducted extensive consultation through a survey and informal meetings with athlete groups, survivor and advocacy groups, subject matter experts, sport organizations and more. These activities have informed the development of the first draft of a revised Canadian Safe Sport Program that builds on the successes of the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the Abuse-Free Sport Program.
Note that this consultation is separate from the Future of Sport in Canada Commission’s recent request for feedback from stakeholders.
Consultation Opportunities
We encourage stakeholders to provide feedback on the draft program and share their experiences with the current program through one of five consultations. Your feedback is vital to the development of this next version.
Consultation topics, an explanatory document, and the draft procedural rules will be available in early October. Every consultation will have the same agenda.
Register now:
Consultation | Date and Time | Registration |
Webinar (English) | November 6, 10 am -12 pm EST | |
RA Centre, Clark Hall, Ottawa, ON (in person) | November 6, 1:30-3:30 pm EST | |
Webinar (English) | November 12, 1-3 pm EST | |
Webinar (French) | November 12, 3:30-5:30 pm EST | |
CAC Sport Leadership Conference, Regina, SK (in person) | November 14, 8-10 am CST | Register |
Next Steps
Late November or December 2024
The first draft of the program will be revised based on feedback from consultations, and a final version will be published.
January to March 2025
CCES staff will help signatories through the onboarding and implementation of the new program and its requirements.
CCES Names Executive Director of Safe Sport
The CCES recently announced that Signy Arnason will be the Executive Director of Safe Sport, effective September 23, 2024. Ms. Arnason joins the CCES after 23 years with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection as the Associate Executive Director, where she guided their growth to a national and international leader in child protection. Click here to read the media release.
NOTE: The administration of the UCCMS through the Abuse-Free Sport Program remains under the authority of the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada until March 31, 2025. For more, go to abuse-free-sport.ca.
About the CCES
The CCES works collaboratively to ensure Canadians have a positive sport experience. Through its programs, the CCES manages unethical issues in sport, protects the integrity of Canadian sport, and promotes True Sport to activate values-based sport on and off the field of play. The CCES is an independent, national, not-for profit organization that is responsible for the administration of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The CCES acknowledges funding, in part, from the Government of Canada. For more information, visit cces.ca, and follow us on X (Twitter), Facebook, or Instagram.