A former participant of Nova Scotia’s Olympic sailing training program has initiated legal action against the national and provincial governing bodies overseeing the sport, claiming they neglected to address her report of a sexual assault. The plaintiff, hailing from British Columbia, asserts that a teammate assaulted her in July 2024 while she was engaged in training and coaching duties in Nova Scotia at the age of 21.
The lawsuit, totaling $9 million, contends that the complainant promptly informed supervisors at Sail Canada and Sail Nova Scotia about the assault, only to be disregarded and subjected to retaliation. According to Mike Smitiuch, the lawyer representing the complainant, the sailing authorities did not appropriately address the rape report, which led to adverse actions against his client.
Following the sexual assault report, the plaintiff alleges that her communication with team members was severed, she was excluded from group discussions, and several peers blocked her on social media. Additionally, she claims to have been excluded from training sessions and isolated as a consequence.
Describing the situation as an instance of an “Old Boys club” attempting to sweep aside a young woman’s rape accusation, Smitiuch highlights that none of the accused parties or governing bodies reported the assault to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, which upholds a code of conduct for federally funded sports organizations. Sail Canada’s board chair, Kate MacLennan, expressed the organization’s commitment to cooperating fully with the legal proceedings and ensuring compliance with relevant policies.
The complainant, who was part of the Nova Scotia Olympic skiff sailing team and worked as an instructor at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, claims to have faced ongoing harassment at work subsequent to reporting the assault. The lawsuit further alleges that coaches and staff from the sailing organizations colluded to conceal the assault, breaching their responsibilities to report suspicions of sexual misconduct and provide adequate support to the complainant.
The legal action, filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, targets $9 million in damages from the defendants. Sail Nova Scotia did not provide immediate comment, and it is important to note that the allegations in the lawsuit have not undergone legal scrutiny.
