Some rape crisis centres report spike in calls since start of Hockey Canada sexual assault trial

Kate Dubinski · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 04, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

WARNING: This nonfiction references intersexual battle and whitethorn impact those who person experienced​ ​​​sexual unit oregon cognize idiosyncratic impacted by it.

Some rape situation centres are reporting a large leap successful calls since the commencement of the high-profile proceedings of 5 erstwhile satellite inferior hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a pistillate successful a London, Ont., edifice country successful 2018.

At the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, there's been a 25 per cent spike successful the fig of women asking for assistance oregon to speech astir their ain experiences with intersexual violence, said Karley Doucette, the centre's acquisition and communications manager. 

"We're seeing a small spot of everything connected the enactment line," she said. "We person survivors successful the assemblage who are retraumatized by what they're speechmaking and seeing successful the news. They're reaching retired for enactment due to the fact that possibly it's bringing up memories and acquisition they've had and request immoderate enactment around." 

Other callers want to speech done whether their ain acquisition with reporting to constabulary and going done the transgression justness strategy and a proceedings could beryllium similar that of E.M., the complainant successful the satellite inferior hockey case, Doucette said. 

"It's precise communal that folks consciousness our ineligible strategy is not equipped to woody with intersexual unit and intersexual battle cases." 

Michael McLeod, Dillon Dubé, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote and Carter Hart person pleaded not blameworthy to sexual battle charges, stemming from their time at a edifice successful London, wherever they attended a Hockey Canada gala successful June 2018.

E.M. told constabulary she had consensual enactment with McLeod in his edifice country aft a nighttime of dancing and drinking astatine a section bar. The Crown alleges McLeod invited his teammates to the edifice country for enactment acts with E.M., which she says she did not consent to. 

WATCH | WARNING: This video contains graphic content: The adjacent signifier of the satellite inferior hockey trial:

The men person alleged E.M. was the intersexual aggressor and consented to the intersexual acts. 

Since the trial began astir 2 months ago, intersexual battle centres crossed the state person been bracing themselves for an summation successful telephone volumes — something they accidental happens whenever a high-profile proceedings oregon lawsuit brings consciousness to intersexual violence, said Julie Lalonde, a victims' rights advocator based successful Ottawa. 

"The calls to enactment lines person been done the extortion due to the fact that women are truthful triggered by the lawsuit and by the details that person travel out," Lalonde said.

The days-long cross-examination of E.M. by the 5 defence teams has prompted immoderate women to rethink going guardant to constabulary with their complaints, added Lalonde. 

"Women spot themselves reflected successful this acquisition and it's their worst nightmare played out." 

The London Abused Women's Centre usually fields astir 350 to 400 calls per period to its situation line, said enforcement manager Jennifer Dunn. Since the proceedings started, the fig has been consistently been supra 400, she added. 

Violence has 'lifelong impacts'

"When thing is successful the media oregon prevalent successful the community, we are usually prepared for the spike [in calls]," Dunn said. "Current clients person told america that the proceedings is impacting them and we've been capable to enactment with them addressing trauma that's being brought to the forefront." 

Other callers are asking however emblematic the Hockey Canada proceedings is of intersexual battle proceedings, Dunn said. 

"There are worries that if they take to study what happened to them, volition it look similar what's going connected successful the courtroom close now." 

The London centre has had calls from arsenic acold distant arsenic Alberta to explicit their support, she added. 

"Women who person been subjected to unit of immoderate benignant often person lifelong impacts from that. Sometimes, careless if it happened years and years ago, oregon conscionable yesterday, those feelings tin travel backmost up. It tin beryllium astir arsenic if you're reliving what you are subjected to." 

E.M. filed a constabulary study successful 2018 but the London Police Service (LPS) closed the lawsuit successful aboriginal 2019 without charging anyone. 

Hockey Canada settled a civilian suit brought by E.M. successful 2022. When details of the suit were reported successful the media, the LPS reopened the investigation and yet charged the 5 men present connected trial. 

Closing arguments from the defence and Crown lawyers volition statesman Monday earlier Justice Maria Carroccia astatine the judge-alone trial. 

"It takes a batch of courageousness and a batch of spot to spell done thing similar this, and the information that E.M. was consenting to beryllium connected the basal and beryllium a witnesser successful this case I deliberation truly does amusement her spot and tin talk to women who are wanting to bash possibly the aforesaid thing," Dunn said.

The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region has launched a substance and chat work that allows people to interaction them that mode alternatively of having to spot a telephone call, Doucette said. 

"Picking up a telephone and talking retired large is not ever thing that's accessible for them if they're looking for support, truthful this is simply a much discreet mode for folks to entree support." 

If you're successful contiguous information oregon fearfulness for your information oregon that of others astir you, delight telephone 911. For enactment successful your area, you tin look for situation lines and section services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database. ​​