About Us

WELCOME TO THE TORONTO SPEED SKATING CLUB

The Toronto Speed Skating Club (TSSC) is your place to put on the long blades and feel the speed of Canada’s most successful Olympic sport. We are a growing, volunteer-run club and feature programs for new and experienced skaters. We offer skilled instruction through our excellent coaching team in the recreational and competitive context. We develop youth skaters, but also welcome skaters of all ages for fitness or competitive development. We are affiliated with the Ontario Speed Skating Association and the Speed Skating Canada.

While much of the focus of the TSSC is short track skating on indoor rinks in the GTA, the club also supports athletes interested in long track training and racing.

The TSSC was formed in 1995 by a dedicated group of individuals excited by the development of Short Track indoor speed skating. Short Track was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, and became a full medal sport in 1992 at the Albertville Games. The 1990’s were exciting times for Canadian Short Track Racers, and the TSSC grew out of that energy. At the 1992 Games Canada captured three short track medals: gold in the women’s relay, silver in the men’s relay and an individual silver medal by Frédéric Blackburn’s in the 1,000m distance.

Videos:

Additional information about Canada’s Speed skating history can be found here.

For comparison, you can watch TSSC skater William racing in the 2013 Canadian Open Championships here.

Toronto Speed Skating Club Policies on Harassment and Screening

Harassment Policy

Approved by the President of the  Board on January 15, 2018

Policy Statement

1. The Toronto Speed Skating Club is committed to providing a sport and work environment which promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices.

2. Harassment is a form of discrimination. Harassment is prohibited by human rights legislation.

3. Harassment is offensive, degrading and threatening. In its most extreme forms, harassment can be an offense under Canada’s Criminal Code.

Application

4. This policy applies to all Toronto Speed Skating Club directors, officers, volunteers, coaches, athletes, officials and members of the Toronto Speed Skating Club. It applies to harassment which may occur during the course of all Toronto Speed Skating Club business, competitions, activities and events.

Definitions

5. The following terms have these meanings in this Policy:

1. Complainant refers to the person, who experiences harassment,
2. Respondent refers to the person against whom a complaint is made.

6. Harassment can generally be defined as comment or conduct, directed toward an individual or group of individuals, which is insulting, intimidating, humiliating, malicious, degrading or offensive.

7. Types of behaviour that constitute harassment include, but are not limited to:

1. written, physical or verbal abuse, threats, or outbursts
2. the display of visual material which is offensive or which one ought to know is offensive in the circumstances
3. unwelcome remarks, jokes, comments, innuendo, or taunts
4. leering or other suggestive or obscene gestures
5. condescending or patronizing behaviour which is intended to undermine self-esteem, diminish performance or adversely affect working conditions
6. practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person’s safety, or negatively affect performance
7. any form of hazing where hazing is defined as “Any potentially humiliating, degrading, abusive, or dangerous activity expected of a junior-ranking athlete by a more senior teammate, which does not contribute to either athlete’s positive development, but is required to be accepted as part of a team, regardless of the junior-ranking athlete’s willingness to participate. This includes, but is not limited to, any activity, no matter how traditional or seemingly benign, that sets apart or alienates any teammate based on class, number of years on the team, or athletic ability.”
8. unwanted physical contact including, but not limited to, touching, petting, pinching, or kissing
9. unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, requests, or invitations
10. physical or sexual assault
11. behaviours such as those described above that are not directed towards a specific individual or group but have the same effect of creating a negative or hostile environment
12. retaliation or threats of retaliation against an individual who reports harassment to the Toronto Speed Skating Club

8. For the purposes of this policy, sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when:

1. submitting to or rejecting this conduct is used as the basis for making decisions which affect the individual; or
2. such conduct has the purpose or effect of interfering with an individual’s performance; or c. such conduct creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

9. Types of behaviour that constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:

1. Sexist jokes
2. Display of sexually offensive material
3. Sexually degrading words used to describe a person
4. Inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life
5. Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions
6. Persistent unwanted contact

Confidentiality

10. The Toronto Speed Skating Club recognizes that it can be extremely difficult to come forward with a complaint of harassment and that it can be devastating to be wrongly convicted of harassment. The Toronto Speed Skating Club recognizes the interests of both the complainant and the respondent in keeping the matter confidential, except where such disclosure is required by law.

Complaint Procedure

11. A person who experiences harassment is encouraged to make it known to the harasser that the behaviour is unwelcome, offensive and contrary to this policy.

12. If confronting the harasser is not possible, or if after confronting the harasser the harassment continues, the complainant should put his/her complaint in writing addressed to the President of the Toronto Speed Skating Club.

13. Once the President has received the written complaint, it is his/her role to serve in a neutral, unbiased capacity in receiving the complaint and assisting in its informal resolution. If the President considers that s/he is unable to act in this capacity, the complainant shall be referred to another Toronto Speed Skating Club official.

14. There are three possible outcomes to this meeting of the complainant and President/official:

1. It may be determined that the conduct does not constitute harassment as defined in this policy, in which case the matter will be closed;

1. The complainant may decide to pursue an informal resolution of the complaint, in which case the President will assist the two parties to negotiate an acceptable resolution of the complaint; or

1. There is evidence the conduct may constitute harassment and the complainant decides to lay a formal written complaint. All formal written complaints should be referred to the Executive Director of the Ontario Speed Skating Association. All complaints will be addressed in accordance with the Ontario Speed Skating Association’s Harassment Policy.

Screening Policy

Approved by the President of the  Board on January 15, 2018

 The Toronto Speed Skating Club (TSSC) supports volunteer screening for all positions within our organization.

All volunteers must complete the following:

1.    Submit an application form acknowledging that they have read and understand the organization’s policies and procedures;

2.    Participate in an orientation session as determined by the Club;

3.    Complete and sign the TSSC Code of Conduct Policy;

4.    Provide a Police Records Check if requested and

5.    Provide a Driver’s Abstract if requested.