Minor sports groups fear squeeze over records checks

Seven-year-old contract to screen for criminal activity now expired

Uncertainty over a provincial program that funds criminal record checks has some minor sports groups fearing they’ll be forced to pick up the tab.

Minor soccer associations in Calgary and Edmonton representing tens of thousands of players and officials say the lapsing of a sevenyear-old contract to cover the $15 per-person screening could cut deeply into their bottom lines.

Those groups were hoping to have a new funding system in place by the end of July but have been told there’s nothing definite yet, said Daryl Leinweber, executive director of the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA).

“The frustrating part is, we haven’t heard back from Volun- teer Alberta,” said Leinweber. “They’ve actually had a process to apply for funding but we haven’t been told anything.”

Every year, the CMSA has its 1,500 coaches screened though the Calgary Police Information Clearance (CPIC) system to ensure those volunteers don’t pose a risk to young players.

If funding for that process doesn’t come through, it could discourage some volunteers from participating or see the fee passed on, said Leinweber.

“It impacts the coaches themselves as volunteers ... do you lose the volunteers because you have to go through the process?” said Leinweber, who oversees an organization numbering more than 30,000 members.

“Some of those clubs can’t afford it — do we then fund it and pass it on to the club and the club pass it on to the parent?”

The athletic associations aren’t bound by law to have that screening conducted, but many feel morally obligated to do so, said Leinweber.

It’s part of keeping in good standing with the Respect in Sport program which promotes ethical behaviour in athletics, he added.

“We do everything possible to make sure the child is protected,” he said. “It’s something you have to do in today’s society.”

He said a more intensive version of the background check known as a vulnerable sector search ultimately detected one-time junior hockey coach Graham James who’s been convicted of sexually assaulting several of his players.

In a statement, the ministry of Culture and Tourism, which funds the program, says it’s been working on a new approach that will maintain support for non-profits’ back- ground screening, said spokeswoman Marion Nader.

“Our priority is to develop a program that helps Alberta’s non-profit voluntary organizations effectively screen potential volunteers,” she said.

“Full details will be provided once they are finalized and we are confident a new program will address the needs of Alberta’s nonprofit voluntary sector organizations.”

The expiry of the funding contract, she said, gives the province a chance to revamp the system.

“It was an opportunity for the government to touch base with the sector, take a look at what was working and what could use some improvements,” stated Nader.

Leinweber said the CMSA hopes to have its coaching roster in place by mid-to-late September.