Risk & Safety

Police Record Checks

Police Records Checks

As per HEO Rules and Regulations as well as the LMHA, Police Record Checks are required for ALL TEAM OFFICIALS and ON-ICE HELP, this includes everyone who will have a volunteer position on a team as well as all voting and non-voting board members.

In keeping with Hockey Canada recommendations, all team officials (including but not necessarily limited to coaches, trainers, managers), and any others, who, through their duties on behalf of the LMHA, may work directly with children and adolescents, must undergo a criminal record check every third year. Exceptions / limitations to this rule may be required in instances where there is an inability of the investigating organization (i.e. police service or other authorized body) to complete the record checks (i.e. number of or types of volunteers being screened is restricted due to volume).

All volunteers are encouraged to use the Ottawa Police Service online Police Record Checks system. In particular, volunteers will be required to complete a Level 3 - Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC).

Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) 

This check is restricted to applicants seeking employment and/or volunteering in a position of authority or trust relative to vulnerable persons in Canada only. It is a collection of offence information, including convictions, outstanding warrants, charges, judicial orders and sexual offence convictions for which the individual has received a record suspension where authorized by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Non-conviction information shall be released only when it meets the Exceptional Disclosure Assessment.

LMHA PRC Cover Letter

If you are unable to apply online you can still have the PRC done in person at 2670 Queensview. Download the following application and the LMHA PRC cover letter to take with you.

Download Level 3 - Vulnerable Sector Check 

Your reviewed PRC will be mailed to your home address.  When you receive the reviewed PRC, make a photocopy, place it in a sealed envelope and give it to your team manager.  The team manager will submit all PRCs to the LMHA Coordinator, Risk & Safety.

If you have any questions, please contact Safety@Leitrimhockey.ca

Role of Team Safety Officer

Each team will nominate at least one, if not more, volunteer to act as a Team Safety Officer. 

In this role, you would be responsible to:

  • Verify LMHA Screening is completed for each family before every event (including spectators)
  • Verify vaccination status has been verified before every event for any spectators associated with your team. Note that teams are encouraged to maintain a record of vaccine verifications for frequent spectators to avoid needing to check on every occasion.  See our Vaccination Attestation section for more details.

Should team safety officers encounter any difficulty in verifying this information, please advise facility staff and inform the LMHA safety officer by email at safety@leitrimhockey.ca. 

The association will follow up directly with the implicated individuals, as well as team officials.  This role is not to be confrontational.

Note that some facilities (e.g. Sensplex), may choose to conduct additional vaccine checks at their facilities.

COVID-19 Protocols

What forms do I need to fill out prior to attending?

Who Am I? What Do I need to do?
Player/Team Official TeamSnap Health Check (in-app)
Spectator/Other LMHA Attendance Form

** Links to the spectator screening forms may be found in TeamSnap, under the web link for the “Location” of each event.

I'm a young player (or parent of a young player); what do I need to know?

  • Please come fully dressed (less helmet, gloves, and skates) to minimize time needed in dressing room
  • If you, as a player, need assistance with your skates;
    • One (1) parent only in dressing room at a time to help with player skates (no siblings allowed).
    • As a parent, please tie skates and exit quickly to minimize total numbers in the room
    • If room capacity is reached, please tie skates using the provided seating in the designated areas (e.g. hallways or in the rink)
    • If you have a young sibling attending and cannot leave them unattended, consider using seats in the designated areas outside the change rooms (e.g. in the rink or hallways)
  • Please keep masks on as long as possible while in the changing rooms.   Masks should only be removed before heading onto the ice.
  • Please do not fully undress after practice and games.   Try to remove skates and exit as soon as possible.

I’m a spectator, what do I need to know?

  • Arena capacities are in place.   It is recommended to minimize total number of spectators per participant per ice time to minimize the likelihood of COVID-19 exposure.
  • Spectators must fill out a COVID-19 screening form prior to entering the building (see above):
    • You will receive an email confirming your completion of this form
  • Parents may enter the dressing room to assist players but must adhere to room capacity (usually posted on door).
    • Parents are encouraged to finish and exit quickly to minimize total numbers.
  • Participants may also choose to use designated chairs in hallways and/or arenas if room capacities are reached.
  • Masks are mandatory for spectators at all times while inside the building, and physical distancing (2 m) in the arena is expected to be strictly enforced. Those not conforming with these rules will be asked to leave and may be banned from attending future events.
  • At Barrett, everyone must enter through the Main Entrance.  If you are on the east rink, you should exit through the doors in the east rink.  If you are on the west rink, you should exit by the doors at the main entrance, or out the back of the building (no parking is permitted at the back doors).
  • Spectators are expected to follow signs and directional arrows.
  • When you arrive, you must go directly to the arena and be seated at the designated spots marked in the stands.
  • Food and beverages may only be consumed while seated in the stands.  Do not consume any food or beverages as you are passing through the lobby.
  • You must exit the arena as soon as the Zamboni goes on the ice.
  • There is to be no congregating in the arena, or in the lobbies at any time.
  • Painted lines have been added to the sidewalk in front of Barrett West. Please adhere to physical distancing while waiting and ensure that there are no groups of people that other players and parents have to walk through, especially at the entrance/exit points outside the building.
  • A reminder that the driveway in front of Barrett West is a fire zone. Other than dropping players off, there should be no cars in this lane. Players wishing to finish dressing outside the arena should do so in the parking lot, not in/behind cars in this zone.

Spectator Do’s & Don’ts

Do’s

  • Do fill out your Covid Screening form
  • Do show your vaccination email upon entering the city facility if requested
  • Do try to minimize spectator attendance
  • Do wear a mask
  • Do physically distance yourselves at all times while inside the building
  • Do enter through the Main Entrance
  • Do consume food or beverage while seated in the stands (not in the lobby or while standing)
  • Do follow all directional signs and arrows in the facility
  • Do exit the facility as soon as the Zamboni gets on the ice

Don’t

  • Don’t park in the laneway (Fire Zone) at the front of the building
  • Don’t consume food or beverage while in the lobby
  • Don’t congregate at the arena entrances/exits or in the lobbies
Vaccine Attestation

In accordance with provincial guidelines and direction from Hockey Eastern Ontario, we have an obligation to verify vaccine status for anyone associated with our teams who will be attending an LMHA event.  

All players born in 2009 or earlier (age 12+), must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination;

  • All people 12+ who are vaccine eligible (including coaches, volunteers, referees, time keepers, spectators) will need to provide proof of vaccination.

Recognizing these requirements were published only in late September, LMHA has adopted a phased implementation aligned with HEO's policy:

  • September 25 - all team officials must have at least one vaccination
  • October 15 - all team officials must have two vaccinations
  • October 29 - all team officials must be fully vaccinated (two vaccinations plus two weeks)
  • November 8 - all players born in 2009 or earlier must be fully vaccinated.

Depending on public health conditions, local facilities may enact stricter requirements, which LMHA will have to respect. We will do our best to advise of these changes as we become aware of them.

To respect these obligations, each team must:

1) Identify an individual, either the manager or team safety officer, who can verify that all officials, and where appropriate players, have received their second vaccine and that at least two weeks have elapsed since the last dose.  This check would need to be verified in tandem with a piece of photo identification (driver's licence, passport, etc).  

2)  Maintain this list, though may need to share it with the association at a later date.  Teams are not to keep a record of the vaccine confirmation form, nor of health cards. 

3) Teams will also be required to verify vaccination status along with a piece of photo identification for any spectators 12+ attending their ice-times.  To this end, teams may choose to include in their list the vaccination status for parents or guardians who spectate regularly.  By maintaining a record, we will only have to conduct these checks once.  Sample Template.

For each ice-time, the team safety officer would be required to verify the vaccine status of any spectators who aren't on the list.  They would not need to maintain a record of this check.

Should volunteers encounter any difficulty in verifying this information, please advise facility staff and inform the LMHA safety officer by email at safety@leitrimhockey.ca.  The association will follow up directly with the implicated individuals, as well as team officials.  This role is not to be confrontational.

Note that some facilities (e.g. Sensplex), may choose to conduct additional vaccine checks at their facilities.

Maltreatment

There is a new rule this year (2021) and it’s called Maltreatment.

The attached slide deck provides more details.

All coaches & parents should go through this slide deck and discuss it with their players/children regarding "trash talk" on the ice.

If any of the officials on the ice hear a discriminatory remark on the ice this will be called a Gross Misconduct.

 

References

If you'd like to learn more about Ottawa and Ontario's approach, please refer to the following links: