2026-2027 Policies and Procedures
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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
1.0 ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET
1.1 Lifetime members and active officials will be offered a complimentary ticket to the Annual Awards Banquet.
i.) An active official is someone who:
a.) Participates in assessment sessions
b.) Volunteers their time at Thunder Bay Open (Provincial Series)
1.2 The Board members, committee heads, and Regional coaches shall receive a complimentary ticket to the Annual Awards Banquet.
2.0 BEREAVEMENT:
1.1 A donation of $50.00 shall be made to the charity of choice on the passing of a Board/official/coach/lifetime member.
1.2 Donations of greater value shall be at the discretion of the Board.
3.0 BINGO
See Appendix A
4.0 BOARD MEMBERS
4.1 The Board of Directors of the Thunder Bay Skating Academy shall consist of the President and four Directors.
4.2 The Board shall appoint non-Board members to chair different committees every year. It is strongly encouraged that Chairpersons of those committees form a sub-committee. Some examples of committees are Assessment Day Co-ordinator, Bingo, Fundraising, Ice Show, Publicity. A Director who sits on the Board may also chair a committee.
4.3 The Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Operating Officer shall attend meetings. They will have a voice but not a vote.
5.0 BURSARY AWARDS
5.1 Bursaries will be issued upon receipt of application, and approval by the Board.
5.2 See Appendix B
6.0 CLUB DRESSING ROOM AND LOCKERS
6.1 Rental of the lockers for the skating season (Oct-Apr) is $25.00 payable at registration. All lockers must be cleaned out on the last day of the ice show.
6.2 Dressing rooms are located in Dressing Room A & C at the Fort William Gardens. All skaters will be considerate and dispose of garbage and any unwanted items. Also consider the sensitivities of others before applying perfume, body lotion, hairspray or any other scents others may find offensive or painful.
6.3 All skaters can either supply their own locks or use the locks provided. Upon payment of locker rental, please contact the Chief Operations Officer to rent your locker and supply us with the combination.
6.4 See Appendix E
7.0 COACHES
7.1 All coaches must have a contract with the Thunder Bay Skating Academy or be a freelance coach with permission from the Board to be on Club ice, and must abide by the rules of their contract and the coaches code of ethics.
7.2 All coaches must be registered with Skate Canada in accordance with their standards.
7.3 All coaches are to submit their timesheets by the 2nd day of the following month. For example: March’s time sheets are to be submitted by April 2nd.
a.) Time sheets that aren’t submitted by the 2nd of the month will not be processed and the coach(es) will have to wait until the following month to submit those hours.
b.) Payroll will be completed by Payroll Express.
c.) Payroll will be automatically deposited into the coach’s bank
account by the 10th of the month.
d.) T4 slips will be delivered via email from Payroll Express in January.
7.4 All coaches must refrain from teaching private lessons during enhancement/class sessions.
7.5 All coaches will ensure that members are skating on their proper sessions. Members who have not paid for a session shall not skate on that session. This action ensures the safety of all Club members.
7.6 Coaches wishing to get their CanSkate Certification must notify the Lead coach about videos being done on session.
7.7 Coaches Professional Development:
a ) CanSkate coaches will be eligible for $150 annually
b.) CanSkate certified coaches are eligible for
$250 annually for coaches who coach 1-2 days per week
$400 annually for coaches who coach 3+ days per week
c.) Regional Coaches trained status
$350 annually for coaches who coach 1-2 days per week
$500 annually for coaches who coach 3+ days pe
d.) Regional coaches certified status are eligible for
$500.00 annually for coaches who coach 1-2 days per week $1000.00 annually for coaches who coach 3+ days per week
e.) These funds cannot be accrued from year to year, but can be used to pay SC membership fees, and/or courses for professional development. (from May 1-April 30) Expenses must be submitted within 30 days of taking the course.
f.) Receipts must be supplied for all expenses
g.) A written request for additional funds may be submitted to the Board at any time for consideration with an explanation of why funds are being requested, and maybe awarded .
8.0 CONFLICT RESOLUTION
See Appendix C
9.0 CRIMINAL RECORDS CHECK
9.1 All Board members with signing authority to the bank accounts shall have a Criminal record check upon election to the Board. Those Board members finishing their second year term, shall sign a waiver declaration form indicating any changes to their Criminal Records check.
9.2 The Board member shall be reimbursed for the cost of the Criminal Records check upon receipt
10. DISSOLUTION CLAUSE
10.1 Should the Thunder Bay Skating Academy dissolve, the organization’s net assets and property held or acquired from the proceeds of licensed lottery events shall be given to PRO Kids Thunder Bay.
11.0 DROP IN FEES
11.1 In order to access drop in sessions, skaters must be registered for at least one full day of skating with the TBSA. The charge for Club members is $45.00 per session. The non-member(s) drop in fee is $50.00 per session. All Drop in fees must be requested and confirmed with TBSA’s Director of Skating, 48 hours in advance pending availability on session
12.0 ICE
12.1 Make up Sessions: There will be no substitutions or make up sessions allowed for a missed session. However a STARskater may pick up a session for a drop in fee (see Drop In Fee Policy). The skater must contact the Chief Operations Officer 48 hours before the session to ensure availability. The skater will only be allowed on the session if space is available.
12.2 Canskate Missed Sessions: There will be no substitutions or make up days allowed for a CanSkater. All CanSkaters must skate on their registered day(s). No refunds will be given for a missed session.
12.3 Weather Cancellations: If the city cancels/closes the facility on a scheduled day that Thunder Bay Skating Academy offers a program there will be no refunds or make up sessions given unless the Club is reimbursed by The City of Thunder Bay.
13.0 ICE SHOW
13.1 All Lifetime members, officials, and Board members will be welcomed to attend our Annual Ice show with a complimentary ticket.
14.0 ICE SUBSIDY AND AFFILIATION FEES
14.1 All STARskate families must pay a $200 ice subsidy fee at registration which will be refunded upon completion of a yearly credit criteria. The bingo volunteer hours must be completed by August 31 of that skating year. Volunteer hours will be tracked by the Director of Bingo per the fiscal year October 1 - September 30. All volunteer hours will be limited to a maximum of 8 hours per activity/person. (4 X 2 hrs bingo volunteer)
14.2 All STARskate families will also pay a $150 fundraising fee per season (Fall and Winter) at registration which will be refunded once the criteria has been met.
14.3 If you would like to request your skater to volunteer during an event or activity, please contact the coordinator of the event. (high school volunteer hours)
15.0 IPOD SYSTEM
15.1 All coaches will not exceed 7 minutes of usage during a 15-minute lesson.
15.2 All coaches will return the IPod system back to the original rotation after use during a lesson
15.3 All coaches will make every effort to avoid ‘dead air’ during a Club session. ‘Dead air’ is defined as no music playing during a skating session.
15.4 Only STAR 5 and higher skaters may operate the Ipod System.
16.0 MEMBERSHIP
16.1 All accounts must be paid in full within a week of the first day of skating, unless arrangements have been made with the Chief Financial Officer.
16.2 Each skater must pay the yearly Skate Canada membership and administration fee where applicable. These fees are non-refundable.
16.3 All skaters must wear a CSA certified helmet in accordance with the Skate Canada Helmet Use Policy, implemented on July 1, 2011. More information can be found on the Club’s website.
16.4 Skaters who require special needs (i.e. autism, Down’s syndrome) can have a worker present on the ice, provided that worker is registered with Skate Canada.
16.5 An account will be considered in bad standing if the account falls 30 days past due unless using the instalment program. The member has 31-60 days to bring the account to a current balance to be considered back in good standing status. If no communication has been received, and the account remains in bad standing after 60 days, the member/skater(s) will not be permitted to participate in Club programming or events, until the account returns to good standing.
16.6 ProKids Parents/Guardians of a child approved by the ProKids program shall have 48 hours before the start of skating to pay their portion of their invoice. If the balance owing is not paid in full, the skater will be removed from the program unless alternate payment arrangements have been made with the CFO. The Affiliation Fee (for Bingo) and Fundraising Fee are the member's responsibility and cannot be subsidized.
17.0 PANDEMIC/EPIDEMIC PROGRAM CANCELLATION
17.1 In the event of a pandemic/epidemic, the Club is prepared to follow public health, municipal/provincial government and sport recommendations regarding modifying/postponing our cancelling programs and activities.
17.2 The Club will provide in the form of a Club credit, a refund of the cancelled/postponed programs/events.
17.3 Cash refunds will only be considered by the Board of Directors on a case-by-case basis. Requests are to be sent in writing to the Club Treasurer.
17.4 All modifications or restrictions to programming will remain in place until advised that it is safe to resume activities by public health, government, or sports officials.
17.5 In the absence of specific protocols, please refer to the Skate Ontario/Skate Canada guidelines as amended.
18.0 REFUNDS
18.1 Registration fees will be refunded upon request prior to the end of the 3rd week of each session.PreCanSkate, Parent and Tot, CanSkate, Hockey Fundamentals, Rising Stars and our STARSkate programs are 10 week sessions, offered Oct-Dec and Jan-Mar.
Registration fees will be refunded upon request prior to the end of the 3rd week of each session.
After the 3rd week of each session, refunds will only be issued with a medical certificate.
An administrative fee, the Skate Canada fee, plus sessions skated will be deducted from all refunds.
18.2 All other refunds will be considered by the Board of Directors upon written request via mail or email made within 7 days of the skater’s last day on the ice for injury and/or illness
18.3 The Club’s income is based solely on fees and fundraising therefore after the first three (3) weeks of skating, fees will only be refunded under the following conditions:
a.) Relocation of a family to another town
b.) Compassionate reasons approved by the Board
c.) A medical note from a doctor for injury and/or illness within 14 days of the request.
18.4 STARSkate (Star 1, Star 2-3, Star 4+)
a.) Memberships are non-refundable 3 weeks from the beginning of the skating season.
b.) All other refunds will be considered by the Board of Directors upon written request via mail or email.
c.) Refunds will be pro-rated based on the number of sessions attended.
d.) all written requests must be received within 7 days of the skater’s last day.
18.5 Any unused credits showing on our files will be written off after 2 years.
19.0 PAYMENt of ACCOUNTS
19.1 The Club will accept e-transfers and credit cards only to pay any accounts with the Club. (i.e.:membership, test fees, Shoot for the Stars, ice show, fundraising etc)
20.0 PRIVACY
20.1 All information is of utmost importance to our Club. Some of the information collected during online registration (Skate Canada number, name of skater and email contact) is forwarded to Skate Canada for membership registration. We do not trade, sell or otherwise transfer your personal information to outside parties.
20.2 This does not include trusted third parties who assist the Club in the operation of our website and processing of online transactions. All card holder information provided during online registration is collected and handled by a third-party compliant vendor. The Club does not have access to or stores any credit card information.
20.3 The email address provided is used for registration processing and to
send information/updates above the program registration, volunteer opportunities, or other information of interest to our members.
21.0 PROGRAM ASSISTANTS
21.1 Program Assistants will be paid minimum wage as of October 1st of each year, per hour of work as a program assistant.
21.2 Skaters who volunteer their time shall be given a gift card of their choice at the end of the Fall and Winter seasons. The amounts will be tallied and their choice of gift cards will be done through everythingcard.ca
21.3 Those Program Assistants who are interested in obtaining their High School Volunteer Hours will be awarded these first, based on the hours they volunteer.
22.0 PROTOCOL: E-MAIL
With the increased development and use of electronic communications, the Board will be respectful in their use of such communications regarding business decisions related to that of the Thunder Bay Skating Academy.
22.1 The Board members shall communicate via email for the purpose of:
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Distribution of minutes and agenda items for meetings/subcommittee meetings
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Following up with a request or agenda item to be completed before the next meeting
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Feedback regarding a document, promotion, or such that is to be completed before the next meeting
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Clarification of an issue or activity that must be completed before the next meeting.
22.2 Board decisions may be made via email or other electronic communications if they are of an urgent nature that must be addressed before the next regular scheduled meeting. Board decisions via email shall:
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Be addressed to all voting members and the President
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Explain the reasoning for the vote, a date to which a decision must be reached, and factual, pertinent information relating to the decision.
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Require that if the person proposing the request is a voting member, they must propose the motion and request a seconder
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Note any conflicts of interest or abstaining votes by members
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Be acknowledged as being passed with enough electronic votes by the President, or in the absence of the President by the Past President.
22.3 Board decisions passed at a previous meeting shall not be proposed to be changed, amended or overturned via email.
22.4 All communications via email or electronic devices shall be clearly addressed as to whom is to respond or whom the email is intended for by indicating such names in the “To” line.
22.5 All others that are not to respond, or just to make people aware should be addressed in the “cc” line.
22.6 All Board communications should not utilize the “bcc” line. All electronic communications will be respectfully, well thought out. Bullying or harassment via electronic communications will not be tolerated and will be addressed accordingly.
22.7 All electronic communications should be cc’d to the President. All electronic communications to or by the President should be cc’d to one of the Vice Presidents or Past Presidents.
22.8 All electronic communications relating to Board matters will remain confidential as with any discussion that takes place in the realm of the Board setting.
22.9 Limited, and only essential personal or sensitive information will be included in electronic communications amongst the Board.
23.0 ROWAN’S LAW
See appendix D
24.0 SKATE CANADA CODE OF ETHICS
24.1 All skaters, officials, coaches, employees, board members, volunteers, alumni, parents and guardians who participate in and observe related Skate Canada activities must adhere to the Skate Canada Code of Ethics. The Skate Canada Code of Ethics can be found at: https://info.skatecanada.ca/index.php/en-ca/policies/79-skate-canada-code-of-ethics.html
25.0 SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
25.1 The Club has a Facebook and Instagram account. All members of the Board of Directors will have administrator privileges to both accounts, as well as any member who has been Board approved. These accounts will be used as a general platform of communication to our members and the public. Members and Parents are to refrain from using social media to disrespect or exploit others and the Club.
26.0 ZERO TOLERANCE ON BULLYING AND HARASSMENT
26.1 Bullying can be defined, but is not limited to, the activity of unwanted repeated, aggressive behaviour intended to hurt another person, physically or mentally whether it be in person or cyber-bullying.
26.2 Cyber-bullying is the use of cell phones, instant messaging, email, chat rooms, or social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to harass, threaten or intimidate someone.
26.3 Any club member who intimidates or bullies another member of the Club will be dealt with in the following sequential steps:
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A verbal warning from the Lead Coach or any member of the Board of Directors. The President will be notified of this verbal warning for the Club’s records
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The President will create a conflict resolution committee to discuss the situation. They will bring their findings to the Board of Directors, and based on the evidence, a written warning will be issued.
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A declaration stating the skater is “a member not in good standing” and the skater is NOT permitted on any ice sanctioned by Skate Canada until permission has been granted by the Board of Directors to return. The skater and parent/guardian (if applicable) must request to meet with the Board of Directors to present their case for reinstatement to the Club
Appendix A - Bingo
All volunteers should adhere to the Superior Shores document which gives a detailed description of responsibilities of the volunteers, given out at the training sessions, that you must participate in, in order to work bingos for the Club. Below is a brief summary of those roles and responsibilities.
1. The bingo year will run from October 1 to September 30 of the skating season.
2. No members of the Club may work a Bingo until they are eighteen (18) years of age. If an emergency arises, the Bingo Chairperson must contact the Executive for help.
3. All club members will be emailed the bingo dates once received by the Bingo Chairperson from Superior Shores for availability.
4. One week in advance of each scheduled bingo, the workers will be emailed with the names of the volunteers scheduled to work.
5. If a volunteer has a conflict, it is the responsibility of the volunteer to notify one of the Bingo Chairperson by email at least 48 hours prior to the bingo. If the volunteer does not notify the Bingo Chairperson by email 24-48 hours in advance, a $50.00 fine will be applied.
6. A new bingo volunteer must take the bingo training through Superior Shores.
Overall Roles of Members include.
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Promotion of their charity and how funds raised benefit the community.
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Customer care support
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Flag verified paper bingo winners
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Assisting with on location promotions
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Attendance counts
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Assisting kitchen staff deliver food orders
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Garbage is to be cleared from tables after every bingo game
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They grey garbage cans need to be compacted and emptied into the larger blue bins if more than ½ full
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Reporting any customer concerns to the duty Session Manager
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All food and beverages must be consumed in the volunteer room, no food or drink is permitted on the gaming floo
Attendance Requirements
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Arrive early to sign in and be ready to go
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Arrive in proper attire according to dress code.
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Minimum of two trained volunteers must attend each event and there must be two volunteers on the floor for the entire event, from start to finish with the exception of the G-Ball game.
Dress Code
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Conservative full length solid black pants, (no jeans, sweat/yoga pants, track pants, capris, shorts cords or skirts)
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Collared shirt with charity logo or a vest with the charity logo and a collared shirt underneath
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Name tag - first name of volunteer. Acceptable name tags include embroidery on shirt, pin, lanyard, or sticker
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No hats or scarves are permitted. No baseball caps
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Footwear must be tasteful and appropriate to the role of the volunteer ensuring safety at all times. Fully enclosed shoes with non-skid soles are required.
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Joggers with a different coloured sole are permitted as long as they are clean and professional looking.
Appendix B - Bursary
Bursary Awards and Competitive Funding
Every year the Board evaluates whether it can afford to offer bursaries to those skaters who represent the Club in out of town qualifying events at Super Series, Sectionals, Challenge, Provincials and/or Canadians. The application will be posted on the TBSA website. All receipts must accompany the application. The following criteria will be considered when awarding the bursary.
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Participation in non-mandatory fundraisers. (i.e. Lays Potato Chips, Mom’s Pantry Meat Order, Tag Days, etc)
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Willingness to assist with extra bingos throughout the season
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Volunteerism at the Club events such as summer promotional events, Canskate Element Events or Performance Days, Provincial Series-Thunder Bay Open, and Ice Show
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Participation in our Learn to Skate program (i.e. program assisting, CanSkate information tables.
2026-2027 Skating Season
Bursaries will be decided by a sub committee of the Board of Directors. The amount of the bursary The following are the bursary amounts approved for the 2026-2027 skating season.
Skaters must apply for a bursary and provide receipts. All decisions regarding disbursement of bursary funds will be under the discretion of the Board of Directors, and will depend on available funding.
Super/Provincial Series
Registration (maximum of two out of town competitions)
Registration: to a maximum of $250.00 per out of town competitions.
Provincial Championships
Registration: to a maximum of $250.00
Expenses: funding towards Provincial Championships to a maximum of $300.00
Sectionals/Challenge/Nationals
Registration
Registration to a maximum of $250.00 for each level of competition. ($750 max)
Expenses
Funding towards Sectionals to a maximum of $500.00
Funding towards Challenge to a maximum of $750.00
Funding towards Nationals to a maximum of $1000.00
Special Olympics
Bursaries for Special Olympic skating competitions (regional, provincial, national and international) will be decided at the discretion of the Board of Directors, on a year to year basis.
Appendix C - Conflict Resolution
This General Dispute Reporting and Resolution Procedure (this “Procedure”) is designed to help the Thunder Bay Skating Academy (the “club”) take every reasonable measure to promote and maintain a safe, inclusive, and respectful environment. This Procedure standardizes the measures and procedures to meet the obligations as set out in the General Dispute Reporting and Resolution Policy (the “Policy”). This Procedure ensures that individuals have a process to report general disputes, it instils confidence that there will be no retaliation or reprisal for reports made in good faith; and it mandates that reports will be investigated and dealt with in a fair and timely manner, respecting the privacy of all concerned as much as reasonably possible.
This Procedure implements the General Dispute Reporting and Resolution Policy and is intended to ensure an appropriate and timely investigation and resolution of general disputes received through the reporting process.
This policy applies to all individuals engaged in activities (on or off ice) with the club. An individual means a person, including registrants, volunteers, parents/guardians of skaters (including minor skaters), as well as persons engaged in activities, events/competitions, and programs with and/or hosted by the club (including coaches and staff members).
To meet the guiding principles as established in the Policy, this Procedure sets out the process for the reporting, investigation and resolution management processes including:
• initiation of general disputes, including the reporting process and timelines;
• initial assessment to determine the appropriate process to be followed;
• a resolution process, including investigation as applicable and response; and
• decision, including disciplinary action as applicable and an appropriate appeal process
When a general dispute is reported to and accepted by the club, as determined by the committee, the committee will lead the appropriate and applicable resolution process and arrive at a final decision.
The committee will proceed to review the file presented to the club in the formal complaint email. The committee will take appropriate steps to work with the parties to address the dispute with the objective of arriving at a mutually agreed upon resolution. What is appropriate will depend on the nature of the dispute and other relevant circumstances. The process may include, but is not limited to, an investigation, and interviewing the
complainant and respondent as well as any witnesses and other individuals necessary to obtain sufficient information upon which to make an assessment and informed decision.
If appropriate, depending on the assessment and nature of the general dispute, the committee, at discretion of the Board of Directors, will attempt to support the parties in the resolution of the issue(s) informally or formally, through methods that may include, but are not limited to, the following means:
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communication with individual(s);
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early resolution facilitation;
Appendix D - Rowan’s Law
The links below provide resources to the current Ontario government concussion resources surrounding Rowan’s Law. On July 1, 2019, new rules came into effect through Rowan’s Law, to improve concussion safety in amateur competitive sport. If you are an athlete under 26 years of age, parent of an athlete under 18, coach, team trainer or official you will need to:
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- review any one of Ontario's official Concussion Awareness Resources before registering or serving with your sport organization (current links provided below); and
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- review your sport organization’s Concussion Code of Conduct; and
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confirm that you have reviewed both of these resources every year with your sport organization(s).
EVERY SKATER (OR PARENT) MUST sign the Rowan’s Law Acknowledgement form in Uplifter upon registration.
By signing the above form you acknowledge that you have reviewed one of the Government of Ontario Concussion Awareness Resources - Rowan’s Law E-Booklets. Please click the links below to be directed to the resource of your choice.
Rowan’s Law: Concussion Awareness Resources (Main Page)
Government of Ontario Concussion Awareness e-booklet: Ages 10 and Under
Government of Ontario Concussion Awareness e-booklet: Ages 11-14
Government of Ontario Concussion Awareness e-booklet: Ages 15 and Up
Appendix E: Locker/Dressing Room Policy
Locker/Dressing Room Monitoring
Skaters should arrive dressed in the proper skating attire whenever possible. Doing so reduces the need to change and supports privacy, safety, and session efficiency.
The locker room door shall remain open or propped open during sessions to ensure visibility and supervision
A coach should never be alone or out of sight with an athlete – especially a minor (example: locker room/changing area).
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Gold Standard – Two Certified Coaches
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Silver Standard – Certified Coach & another adult (parent, volunteer, etc.)
One of the coaches should be the same gender as the athlete.
Parents in Locker Room/Changing Areas
Except for skaters at the younger age groups of Pre-Canskate/Canskate and Rising Stars, we do not allow parents to enter the locker/dressing room unless there is an emergency. If a skater needs assistance with their uniform or gear, if the skater is or may be injured, or a skater’s disability warrants assistance, then parents/guardians must let the coach know beforehand so they can properly assist their skater.
If a skater requires assistance with tying skates or equipment, parents may assist outside the dressing room or at rink side.
Inclusive Locker Room/Changing Areas
The locker/dressing room is considered to be co-ed/gender-neutral space.
The locker/dressing room is a gender neutral space, therefore skaters that need to change must do so in the private washroom in the locker/dressing room or in the public washroom located in the lobby.
Cell Phones and Other Mobile Recording Devices
Cell phones and other mobile devices with recording capabilities, including voice recording, still cameras, and video cameras, are not permitted to be used in the locker room and/or changing areas. If cell phones or other mobile devices must be used, they should be taken outside of the locker room/changing areas.
Prohibited Conduct and Reporting
The Thunder Bay Skating Academy prohibits all types of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, threats, harassment, and hazing, all as described in Skate Canada’s National Safe Sport Program. Participants, coaches, parents/guardians and volunteers at the Thunder Bay Skating Academy may be subject to disciplinary action for violation of these locker room/changing area policies or for engaging in any misconduct or abuse or that violates the Safe Sport Policies. Reports of any actual or suspected misconduct, must be reported to Skate-Safe.ca.
General Conduct Expectations
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Keep dressing rooms clean and dispose of garbage properly
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Use respectful and appropriate language and behaviour at all times.
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Avoid using strong scents (such as perfumes, colognes, or body sprays) in dressing rooms and changing areas to support those with sensitivities.
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Bullying, teasing, gossiping, or exclusion of others is not tolerated.
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