Eight years after the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) women’s hockey team lost its varsity status, the university agreed on Monday to reinstate the team starting in the 2018-19 season.
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The agreement is a result of a settlement conference between UNB, the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission (HRC) and Sylvia Dooley, a former player, who brought forward a complaint to the province’s Labour and Employment Board in 2009. She had complained that when the university downgraded the hockey team to a sports club in 2008 due to funding issues, it was discrimination on the basis of sex.
In March, the board found in Dooley’s favour and ordered the university to reinstate the team. UNB requested a judicial review, but then organized a task force to look at reinstatement of the team.
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It eventually recommended that a settlement conference be held, which took place in November.
Dooley said in a phone interview there was a “deep sense of relief” from the conference.
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“I’m just really excited to make a transition from fighting for this and now to be able to transition into a role where I’m able to help and support a team is a lot more exciting and a lot more fun,” Dooley said.
She said she hopes it will bring in more women to UNB not only from the province but all of Canada. She also hopes to be there for the team’s first game and looks forward to being a “very proud supporter.”
The labour board’s decision in March required the university reinstate the program in time for the 2017-18 hockey season, a requirement UNB vice-president George MacLean said was a “very, very tight” timeline.
“The more we looked at the issue and the balance of concerns that were raised during the task force work over the summer, we realized this was really going to be the right decision, it just needed to be made in the right way,” MacLean told reporters Monday.
“We went forward with the proposal and that proposal included a request that we have more time to be able to put the team back on ice in the right way.”
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HRC director Marc-Alain Mallet told Global News he’s pleased with the outcome.
“Any types of situation that helps to put gender issues at the forefront raises the awareness and in this case, again, it’s a step forward,” Mallet said.
The settlement agreed upon Monday also included hiring a full-time head coach for the women’s varsity team, creating a new coach’s office and locker room for the team in the Aitken Centre, and providing resources and athletic financial awards. Once a coach is hired, a national recruitment drive will start to build a team for the season.
“I think it sends the messsage that UNB is serious about offering opportunities to all of our student athletes,” MacLean said. “This creates, I think, a tremendous opportunity to broaden our varsity sports programs.”
The university will also revisit its gender equity policy and provide revisions by September, 2017.
With the agreement reached, Dooley said the university is showing its own support.
“I genuinely believe that UNB is interested in having a successful women’s hockey team and I believe that they’re providing the tools to make that happen,” Dooley said.
– With files from Adrienne South, Global News and The Canadian Press
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