NEWMARKET MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

Police Vulnerable Sector Screening Policy



Newmarket Minor Hockey Association accepts its significant responsibilities to its vulnerable members.

This Association owes a duty of care to its members, to staff and to the community.  Acceptance of this duty will be reflected in all Association programs, services and activities, as well as in its policies and procedures.

Newmarket Minor Hockey Association recognizes that some of the positions in the Association are of significant trust.  People applying for and undertaking positions of trust will be subject to more intense initial and ongoing screening and supervision than individuals in placements, which are not positions of trust.

Newmarket Minor Hockey Association will not discriminate against any person on the basis of these grounds (age, race, sex, marital status, etc.) unless there is a bona fide reason related essentially and explicitly to the position being applied for, and will do so with due consideration for the need to accommodate applicants where possible.

For all Executive Board members, convenors, coaches, assistant coaches, trainers, assistant trainers, managers and on ice volunteers (16 years and older) with NMHA, a Police Vulnerable Sector Check (PVSC) is mandatory.
 
Individuals with outstanding Criminal Code convictions, five years or more recent, or charges pending for certain offences will not be accepted for a direct service position with vulnerable members.  These offences include, but are not limited to the following:

Five years or more recent:
• Assault
• Threatening
• Possession of a Substance as defined in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (C.D.S.A.)
• Impaired Driving (while Driver’s Licence is suspended)
• Theft, Fraud and Related Offence (while in a Position of Financial Trust)

Individuals with outstanding Criminal Code convictions or charges pending for the following offences will not be considered for a direct service position.
• Assault with a Weapon
• Assault Causing Bodily Harm
• Aggravated Assault
• Sexual Assault
• Sexual Exploitation
• Sexual Interference
• Invitation to Sexual Touching
• Child Pornography
• Luring a Child
• Voyeurism
• Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking
• Production of a Substance (as defined in the C.D.S.A.)
• Robbery
• Use of a Firearm in the Commission of an Offence
• Firearm Related Offences (with the exception of Unsafe Storage)

Applicants may be rejected as a result of other information gained during the police vulnerable sector check process or through the screening process as a whole, or as a consequence of other factors. Under this policy, the applicant has the right to know why he/she is being refused, and may appeal to the Executive in writing for a review of their record.

As a condition of being accepted as a volunteer with the Newmarket Minor Hockey Association, applicants will be required to obtain a Police Vulnerable Sector Check.  PVSC screening letters are to be dated within four months of August 31st of the current season to be accepted and will be valid for a period of three years from date of letter, expiring May 1st of the third year as per Hockey Canada regulations. 

Every three years following the initial check, in order to continue to maintain a volunteer position with NMHA it is mandatory that one complete a new Police Vulnerable Sector Check.  

All volunteers are required to apply for their own PVSC and will be responsible to pay the applicable volunteer fee as set by YRP. Application form and instructions on how to obtain a PVSC letter can be obtained by visiting the YRP website @ www.yrp.ca.  You will also need a letter from NMHA stating that you are a non-paid volunteer which you will need to submit at the same time along with your application form. With this association letter you will be charged the volunteer fee for your clearance letter and additional fees associated with submitting fingerprints will be waived.

Volunteers who do not live in York Region will be required to obtain a PVSC from the jurisdiction in which they live. 

Each applicant will receive a response letter from the YRP. The original reply with the bottom right hand corner embossed with the YRP crest must be submitted to the NMHA office in order for this process to be complete and for the applicant to be approved. Photocopies are not acceptable. Only approved applicants will be considered for a team official position on an OMHA roster or a volunteer position requiring police screening with NMHA. The original letter will be kept by NMHA and will be filed at our lawyer’s office. The original response letter should be placed in a sealed envelope marked PVSC with the individual's name and volunteer position and submitted to the hockey office. 

Police Vulnerable Sector checks completed for another organization will be accepted if they are no more than 4 months old and the original copy is submitted.

It should be noted that every volunteer once accepted is obliged to inform the NMHA office of any new pending charge(s) or conviction(s) of an offence listed in this policy. 

Failure to submit an original PVSC letter will result in the removal or rejection for the position applied for.