3 Manitoba teens arrested, face sexual assault charges following hazing reports

Three 17-year-old boys have been arrested following hazing incidents on a high school hockey team from the Pembina Valley, Man., area.

RCMP said the arrests were made Monday. Two of the suspects face sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault and forcible confinement charges. The third faces sexual assault and assault charges.

There were two hazing incidents involving five victims between 15 and 16 years old, officers said. They were all rookies on the team.

Mounties said the first incident happened in November last year, and the second in January. Both happened at a Winnipeg hotel when the team was in the city to play in tournaments, police said.

Sgt. Richard Sherring told 680 CJOB one of the incidents was reported to the Pembina Valley RCMP detachment by a high school principal in February, after it was brought to her attention by one of the coaching staff.

He said charges have not been officially laid yet.

“The way it happens in Manitoba, is we need pre-charge authorization. So, all the evidence has been collected (and) will be forwarded to the Crown Attorney’s office. At that point, a decision will be made (on) whether or not to lay official charges,” he said.

Sherring noted the season shut down for the team after the initial incident.

“We have worked closely with the schools, the Prairie Spirit School Division, and coaches to determine what took place and to progress the investigation,” said Tara Seel, media relations officer with the Manitoba RCMP.

“This type of behaviour – violent and humiliating initiations – is unacceptable and is going to result in criminal charges for the three male youth involved,” she said.

Sherring said it’s concerning that hazing incidents of this nature “are still happening in this day and age… It’s important youth know that their actions can lead to very serious consequences.”

Jay Johnson, professor in the faculty of kinesiology and recreation management at the University of Manitoba, said hazing has been a decades long dilemma.

“What we’re finding, is there’s a real connection still to that sense of tradition and that history,” he said. “In some sports like hockey and football that demand more collision, more violence, there’s still a legacy that’s pulling through into these experiences (which) a lot of the teams still seem to want to engage with.”

A part of the problem, he added, is the pandemic.

What once was open hazing, has “been driven underground, and the coaches in particular have withdrawn from the process,” Johnson said. “That leaves us with a lot of youth that are on their own and away from someone that could take it in a different direction.”

To move away from hazing, he said, will take vigilance.

“A lot of organizations will come out and say that they’ve dealt with it, and that hazing is something in our review mirror. But clearly it’s not,” he said.

It’s also crucial that people come forward when they feel victimized.

“It takes a lot of courage, but please come forward,” Johnson said. “There’s more acceptance. We see police laying charges now where they weren’t in the past. You will be supported, and you will be heard.”

The three suspects were released and have a court appearance scheduled for June 10 in Winnipeg.

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