Athletics Ontario has a fundamental obligation and responsibility to promote the health, safety and physical and mental well-being of every individual who is involved in the sport of Athletics in Ontario.
Athletics Ontario takes very seriously all situations involving discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment or breaches of its Code of Conduct or other forms of misconduct. For this reason, Athletics Ontario is committed to enacting and enforcing strong, clear, and effective policies and procedures for preventing and addressing all forms of misconduct. Athletics Ontario also has a role in providing education concerning matters relating to Safe Sport.
To foster and maintain a Safe Sport environment, Athletics Ontario has developed the Safe Sport Policy Manual. The Board of Directors feel very strongly about Safe Sport and stand firmly behind the policy manual.
This Safe Sport Policy Manual outlines expected standards of behavior that are designed to create a safe sport environment by preventing, as much as possible, inappropriate behavior from occurring in the first place, and it contains policies and procedures to provide for consistent, timely, appropriate and meaningful action should any issues arise.
We strongly encourage all members, coaches, athletes, parents, volunteers and officials, to read the FULL policies regarding safe sport. We want our members and volunteers to feel safe and trust the sport system. It is crucial that safety in sport is understood and applied across all sports, with no exceptions.
Safe Sport Policy Manual
The Safe Sport Policy Manual gathers together nine policies that form an important part of the initiatives we have been taking to foster and maintain a safe sport environment.
The Safe Sport Policy Manual includes the following components:
- Code of Conduct
- Children & Vulnerable Adults Policy
- Complaints, Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy
- Alternative Dispute Resolution Policy
- Appeal Policy
- Event Discipline Procedure
- Screening Policy
- Whistleblower Policy
- Concussion Management
CLICK HERE to view the full Safe Sport Policy Manual.
Revised Oct, 2023.
Submitting a Complaint
Any member of Athletics Ontario may report a complaint in writing to the Commissioner’s Office, within fourteen (14) calendar days of the alleged incident, although this timeline can be waived or extended at the discretion of the Commissioner’s Office. The complaint should be sent to the following email address: [email protected]. The Complainant should use Athletics Ontario’s complaint form AO Complaint Form
Additional Safe Sport Resources:
Athletics Ontario Safety Videos
Complaint Resolution Outcomes:
Termination of Membership – Randy Brookes – September 19, 2022
Temporary Suspension – Edward Larocque – September 14, 2022
Appeal Decision – Karl Layne – January 17, 2021
Complainant v. Barry – Final Decision of the Panel – March 3, 2020
Warwick-Fletcher v. Layne – Decision, February-24-2020
Appeal Decision – Randy Brookes – January 02 2020
AO Panel Report Suspension of Randy Brookes – October 9, 2019
Rowan’s Law Concussion Resources
Rowans Law Concussion Resource – Ages 10 and Under
