Complaints Process (Powassan Hawks Minor Hockey)

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PMHA Complaints Process

 

·        PMHA will always attempt to have an issue resolved within the team. Using the form to escalate an issue to the Executive Committee for resolution should be viewed as a last resort. 

·        The President of PMHA may assign a delegate to deal with an issue at their discretion or in the circumstance where a conflict exists.

·        Members of the team staff should not be approached with a complaint less than 24 hours after an incident. If the issue needs immediate attention due to safety concerns it can be addressed immediately by the team staff.

·        With few if any exceptions, complaints that have not been actioned by the team staff and, where required, discussed with the coach will be referred back to the team without further action by the Executive Committee Members. If there is an issue with the manner in which the Team Staff handled a complaint then the person is encouraged to contact the PMHA Executive Committee. However, if the team manager took all reasonable steps to address the complaint and found that further action was unwarranted then PMHA will not likely intervene.

·        PMHA will, at all times, comply with requests from legal authorities to provide any and all information gathered under this process. If the incident involves a potential criminal code violation then the police will be contacted immediately.

·        The PMHA is successful with the support of volunteers who selflessly give up their time to support others.  There is NO reason at any point for acting belligerently toward those individuals regardless of the circumstance. Incidents of inappropriate behaviour or harassment, including on social media, toward the volunteers of PMHA will be dealt with in a harsh manner up to including the removal of the player and his/her family from PMHA. 

Please select the link below to open the Complaints process chart; 

Complaints_Process_Chart



Filing a complaint



This process is designed to formalize the steps that all parties are required to take when dealing with an issue. To ensure consistency and fairness, deviations from this process will not be accepted.

A Parent/Player that wishes to file a complaint about a coach or other person should observe the following:

 

  • The person with the complaint should clearly document the specific details surrounding the issue including dates, names, location, bystanders, and actions.
  • The complainant is expected to first raise the issue with the Team Staff.
  • All parties should wait 24 hours after the incident takes place but, if they feel strongly, they are permitted to contact the Team Staff at any time.  The Team Staff will use their discretion in terms of how to proceed.
  • Once the form is completed, it is to be submitted to the Secretary of PMHA for review. If the form is complete it will be forwarded to the appropriate Executive Member. An incomplete form, for example, lack of specific details regarding an incident, will cause the complaint to be returned without action until further details are provided.
  • Should the issue involve a member of the PMHA Executive then the NOHA complaints process should be followed. The process can be found on the NOHA website.
  • In the extreme event whereby a very serious problem directly or immediately threatens the ongoing safety of a player or the continued viability of the Association then the President of PMHA will be notified and he/she has the unilateral authority to take immediate action to nullify that threat regardless of this process.

 

Issues that will NOT be Considered under this Process:

This process is meant for serious complaints such as negligent endangerment, player safety, harassment or other unacceptable behaviour that is serious enough to bring question as to the ability of an individual to continue to be a part of the team.  Below is a list of some of the complaints that may be referred back to the team and will not receive further action from the Board.

  1. Parental Ice Time frustrations do not warrant a Formal Complaint and any parental submissions that relate fundamentally to ice time will be dismissed without action. When a parent has an issue with the ice time their child is receiving then they are to contact the Team Staff for discussion and resolution. If the Team Staff feels that the coach is contravening the ice time policies of PMHA then they may lodge a complaint against the coach in that circumstance. 
  2.  This form is NOT meant for simple disagreements or personal conflicts between individuals.
  3. Submissions that lack specific details about an alleged incident will not be actioned until all details from both sides are assembled. 
  4. Complaints will only be accepted using a fully completed https://forms.gle/6HpWWN9x6QNMrKqd8 obtained from the PMHA website.  Unsolicited emails or other contacts to Executive Board members will be summarily dismissed.  Forms lacking details will not be actioned. 
  5. Anonymous complaint forms will be immediately disregarded.
  6. Complaints against referees using this form will be rejected. Such complaints must be entered using that form; also available on the PMHA website.