As the first month of 2008 unfolds here in Kamloops, the city remains transfixed by the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association scandal in which underage players partied at the home of association President Stan Burton, and the parent who brought the matter to the press was suspended by the association executive.
Meanwhile, at about the same time two years ago, the people of Kelowna were not only transfixed but were also mobilizing to change the president and executive of Kelowna Minor Hockey after they suspended a parent and her hockey-playing son for speaking out.
In that case hockey mom Wendy Wahler wrote a letter to the editor of Castanet.net, an online Kelowna media property. The letter expressed her frustration that both Kelowna Mayor Sharon Sheperd and Kelowna Minor Hockey President Mike Dalton failed to attend the organization's 27th annual Tim Hortons Major Midget Hockey Tournament. KMH president Mike Dalton then suspended both Ms. Wahler (for a year) and her 17-year-old son - who was captain of the Midget AA Junior Rockets - even though the boy had not offered any criticism himself.
The injustice visited upon Ms. Wahler resulted in a huge public outcry, including the mother of all discussion threads at Castanet.net. Then, despite the fact that both the mother and son were reinstated, hockey parent Adrian Van de Mosselaer organized a petition (signed by 120 association members) which forced Kelowna Minor Hockey to call an extraordinary meeting. As he explained at the time to Castanet.net, "The Societies Act shows that we require 10% of the members signatures---then they have to hold a general meeting."
Prior to the meeting President Mike Dalton resigned. But on February 21 2006, a vote to dissolve the association's executive was held. Despite the massive turnout, and a majority who voted in favour of the motion, the motion was defeated. Still, the damage had been done; when the smoke cleared the following May at the annual general meeting, Kelowna Minor Hockey had a new president and an executive with mostly of fresh faces.
Here in Kamloops, despite all the searches for information and letters to the editor, there is no similar petition circulating, and Kamloops Minor
Hockey Association members seem disinclined to rock the boat despite Stan Burton's egregious lack of judgement, whereas in Kelowna all Mike Dalton did was play hooky and go skiing. Go figure.
I've been told that far from mobilizing, many KMHA parents are actually sharing less criticism of the organization than usual, lest they or their children incur some future retribution. In Kamloops the status quo remains firmly in effect; Stan Burton and the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association executive have nothing to worry about.
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