Flyers Players, Coaches, Staff and Families,

As we approach our mid-season break we wanted to take a minute to remind everyone of a couple of policies that were newly adopted at the start of this hockey season. 

In response to member requests over the recent years, Hockey Canada has released new policies and guidelines aimed at ensuring the inclusion and safety of all players. These policies apply to all Hockey Nova Scotia associations including Sackville Minor Hockey.

• A new Dressing Room Policy
• A Gender Expression Policy

The Hockey Canada Gender Expression Policy (Gender Expression Policy) is a foundational document designed to explicitly state Hockey Canada’s commitment to being more inclusive to transgender and non-binary participants. It spells out the practical considerations and needs to address often invisible and unique challenges that transgender and non-binary athletes face. This includes, but is not limited to, treatment, eligibility, registration and dressing rooms.

Hockey Canada’snew Dressing Room Policy  (Dressing Room Policy) represents a shift in philosophy from previous dressing room regulations. The new model is based upon creating safe, inclusive and equitable dressing room environments that are designated team spaces for everyone, while providing proper supervision. Hockey Canada and Hockey Nova Scotia believe in balancing the safety, privacy, modesty and wishes of our participants without compromising the aspects of camaraderie, social integration and bonding inherent in a team sport. This policy attempts to meet these goals while providing a safe and respectful environment for participants.

The Dressing Room Policy and Gender Expression Policy apply to all hockey teams sanctioned by Hockey Canada and its Members. These new policies replace previous policies concerning dressing room supervision (like the Hockey Canada/Hockey Nova Scotia Co-Ed Dressing Room Policy).

The latest versions of these policies can always be found on Hockey Canada’s website: https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/hockey-programs/safety

On that page, you can also find the following which will support your association with the implementation of these policies:

• Dressing Room Policy FAQ
• Dressing Room Policy Implementation Guide
• Gender Expression Policy FAQ
• Gender Expression Resource Guide

Finally, we have also attached an infographic resource from the Coaching Association of Canada regarding Rule of Two best practices.

Coaches and Team Staff are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these new policies and share with their respective teams and families.

Yours in Hockey,

Jennifer Forster

VP Administration

Ryan Sabean

Safety Coordinator

Please read below for a message from the President of Sackville Minor Hockey Association, Rob Nurnber:

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Welcome To The 2023-2024 Flyers Hockey Season!

I would like to welcome all our teams, Players, and families back for another exciting season of Flyers Hockey! The hockey piece is only one of the great opportunities for our children, it is so much more than that. The lifelong friendships and lessons that will prepare our Flyers for life after hockey, sense of community, and the health benefits are priceless.

Now having had the opportunity to be in the President's role for the past 6 months it has given me a much bigger appreciation for the amount of work that goes into operating our association. Along with that it has also allowed me to see all the great things we do as an association, and areas where we can make improvements for all our Flyers.

Here are a few updates I would like to share with our members:

Our VP Of Recreation Dan MacDonald and our VP Of Development John Hubley have brought back Development Sessions for our Recreation Program this season. This is a significant step forward for our program and will provide exceptional development opportunities for our players in recreation this season.

You will see a call out within the next few weeks for the creation of a Tryouts / Evaluation committee in which I want to include members of our association to join our board members to review the current process and policies and look to make suggestions to continue to make our tryout process the best it possibly can be.

As well, we will be nominating our Home Arena and our Association for Kraft Hockeyville again this year in January 2024 and will be looking for your support! Stay tuned for further details.

I would also like to thank all our hard-working volunteers, officials, and administrators working so hard behind the scenes, I cannot thank you all enough.

Finally, I would like to thank you, our member families for choosing minor hockey for your children!

Wishing you all a great hockey season!

Rob

Flyers Fans & Families:

As we ramp up our season, we wanted to remind the SMHA Community that we all play our part in maintaining a Positive and Respectful environment, both at our local rinks, on the road, and online.

In the age of Emojis, Hashtags, Memes, and Likes, it's easy to forget sometimes that the digital realm should reflect the same Flyers values and sportsmanship we try to teach our players at the rink.

Please take a moment to review the SMHA Social Media Policy, found on the Bylaws and Policies page of our website.

Remember, our digital presence mirrors our commitment to teamwork, respect, and fun. Let's keep our online discussions as cool as the ice at the Arena and the Stadium!

Thank you!

Good afternoon,

Friendly reminder that you must use the following form to receive any reimbursement for coaching courses:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k7w9aP5r4nAvvalwIjd43fqmSNmEpfy5Vp9o3CHt3LM/viewform?edit_requested=true

Thank you,

Craig Foley

VP Risk Management