SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE: Please note that the CCES website will undergo scheduled maintenance on April 30, between the hours of 9:00 - 11:00 PM Eastern Time and be inaccessible during that time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sport participants have the right to train and compete in safe and supportive environments. It is important to report maltreatment to help build a safe sport system in Canada.
The CCES independently administers the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) for federally funded national-level sport organizations through the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP). We receive and respond to reports about individuals who may have engaged in prohibited behaviour under the UCCMS.
How to Report
1-866-971-2777
FAQ: How to Report
Learn more about reporting and asking questions anonymously.
We receive and respond to reports of individuals who are part of sport organizations that have adopted the CSSP Rules and who may have behaved in a way that is prohibited under the UCCMS.
We receive and respond to reports of individuals who may have engaged in prohibited behaviour under the UCCMS. This includes:
- psychological maltreatment
- physical maltreatment
- neglect
- sexual maltreatment
- grooming
- boundary transgressions
- discrimination
- subjecting a participant to the risk of maltreatment
- aiding and abetting
- failing to report possible maltreatment
- intentionally reporting a false allegation
- interference with or manipulation of a process
- retaliation
For more information about prohibited behaviours, click here for glossary descriptions and click here for detailed definitions and examples in the UCCMS.
Broadly, the CSSP Rules apply to any individual participating in a national-level, federally funded sport organization (e.g., athlete, coach, trainer, manager, agent, team staff, official/judge/umpire/referee, employee, volunteer, board member, or medical/paramedical personnel such as a doctor, physiotherapist, massage therapist). The CSSP Rules may also apply to other individuals while they participate in events that have been designated by a sport organization. Sport organizations will let participants know that they are subject to the CSSP Rules and will provide information about the requirements. For detailed information, refer to CSSP Rule 3 (Scope of Application).
Note: You don’t need to determine whether the report is under CSSP jurisdiction. If you are unsure, please submit the report and we will respond within 14 days. If it is outside the CSSP’s jurisdiction, we may be able to direct you to the right place to make a report.
Yes, you can ask questions anonymously before making a report any of the following ways*:
- Text: 1-866-971-CSSP (2777)
- Email: [email protected]
Note: To ensure your anonymity, consider whether your email signature is provided in the email you send to this address.
*Texts and emails are sent through the RealResponse platform, a tool that automatically anonymizes your communication so your identity will not be known unless you choose to share it in your message. Your questions are received and responded to by the CSSP team.
Yes, you can choose to remain anonymous when reporting. Please be aware that our ability to act on reports may be limited if we do not have enough information.
If you choose to give your name, the CCES will not share it with your sport organization unless it is necessary to keep you or someone else safe, and we will make every effort to get your consent beforehand.
The CSSP Rules define a minor as someone under 19 years of age. You can make a report to the CCES if you are a minor. You can also choose to have a parent or other adult make a report for you, and they can represent you throughout the report process.
If you report on your own, depending on what is reported, we may determine that your parent(s) or guardian need to be told that a report was made. In some situations, we may have a legal duty to report to child welfare if there is a child in need of protection. See CSSP Rule 6.2 (Reports by Minors) for more information.
If you aren’t sure if you want to make a report or want to know more about the reporting process before deciding, you can connect with us anonymously first to ask any questions – see the section above “Can I ask questions anonymously before making a report?” for information on how to contact us.
We encourage you to consider telling a close friend or family member that you are going to make a report. This way, you have someone to talk to and to lean on for support if you need it. You may wish to have a support person with you throughout the report process. This could be a parent, friend, or legal counsel, among others. Please be aware that your support person is unable to also act as a witness at any stage of the report process (for example, if your teammate will be providing information as a witness, they cannot also be your support person).
After you submit a report, we will contact you within 14 days (unless you reported anonymously). If the CSSP Rules apply to the person and the conduct that was reported, we will:
- review the report;
- assess if steps need to be taken to keep people safe while the report process is ongoing (CSSP Rule 12, Provisional Measures);
- determine the appropriate process to deal with the report (CSSP Rule 13, Methods of Resolution)
- issue a decision about whether or not a violation of the UCCMS occurred;
- determine if sanctions are required; and, if so,
- notify the person who was sanctioned.
When a decision is issued, the person who committed the prohibited behaviour or the person who reported (or was impacted by the maltreatment) may be able to seek a review of the decision and/or sanction, or appeal the finding and/or sanction.
Click here to learn more about the reporting process
If you’ve shared your contact information, your case manager will keep you updated on where your report is in the process. The CCES will not share it with your sport organization unless it is necessary to keep you or someone else safe, and we will make every effort to get your consent beforehand.
If the report is not under CSSP jurisdiction, we will let you know within 14 days. If we can, we will direct you to where you can report and guide you to support resources.
The length of time will depend on many factors, but there are established timelines for each stage of the report process. Learn more here.
View the sport organizations that have adopted the CSSP here.
Prohibited behaviour that happened before April 1, 2025 is subject to the CSSP Rules if the sport organization had policies and procedures in place that banned the conduct at the time of the incident, or if the prohibited behaviour was illegal (Rule 3.4, Application to Conduct that Predates the CSSP and the UCCMS).
The CSSP Rules apply to the CCES. Reports about a CCES employee (including a doping control officer, board member, or volunteer) are investigated by an independent third party, Rubin Thomlinson LLP. Please email [email protected] or call 1-877-810-0071 toll free for information on how to submit a report.