Task force offers recommendations on improving sport

A diversity and inclusion task force launched by Hockey Nova Scotia last fall has released its recommendations on improving the game in this province.

The recommendations cover areas such as cost, structure, racism, visibility, education, off-ice issues, programming, structure and accessibility.

“People came forward with excellent ideas on how to make hockey more accessible and welcoming,” task force chair Dean Smith said in a news release.

“These ideas didn't only come from those who are currently in the game, but also from those who have left the game, or were never attracted to it in the first place.”

The nine recommendations were released on Wednesday and presented to Hockey Nova Scotia's board of directors.

Hockey Nova Scotia began seeking public feedback last fall on how to make the sport more welcoming, diverse and inclusive for everyone. The release said that 841 people from across the province shared their stories and submitted solutions for improving the game.

Developing new training frameworks, increasing representation, revising the organization's constitution and establishing a new member code of conduct were among the recommendations.

“The task force was made up of a group of very inspiring individuals who were completely dedicated to this work,” HNS executive director Amy Walsh said in the release. “It was important to our organization that the leadership in this process did not come from the usual places. This was more than ethnic diversity, it's diversity in every sense of the word.”