Canada Pardons News
The largest soccer group in Maple Ridge is scrambling to react to RCMP rules that require fingerprinting of any volunteers who happen to have birth dates that match those of pardoned sexual offenders.
But so far, none of the 190 teams in the Golden Ears United Soccer Club have had to cancel the upcoming season, says their league vice-president, Kim Reading.
“Our season starts in September. Some of these coaches, it’s going to take them four months to get their criminal record checks done and our season’s half done. So we’re having to make changes.
“If they are returning coaches and they passed the criminal record check every single year, we are giving a little bit of a benefit of the doubt.”
Usually, every team has at least two volunteer parents who’ve passed criminal record checks.
So if one has to stand aside while awaiting the fingerprinting clearance, the other can take over, Reading explained.
New volunteer screening rules introduced in July now require volunteers whose birth dates match those of pardoned sexual offenders to get a further check – fingerprinting.
That requires the coach or volunteer to go to the Ridge Meadows detachment to get their fingerprints taken. The marks are then sent to Ottawa for manual comparison of a fingerprint data base.
If no match is found, a volunteer can be cleared within a month. If a match is found, the process could take four months.
Volunteers with recognized groups have the $25 processing fee waived by the RCMP.
Ridge Meadows Insp. Derren Lench explained the change to Maple Ridge council Monday.
“It is a change in process. I know there’s some frustration out there about what this is all about,” he said.
But it is for the greater good, he added.
The policy requires anybody who volunteers with kids, seniors or the handicapped to have their date of births compared with those on the sexual offenders database. By checking prints, police can rule out volunteers who’ve changed their name, to escape detection. Some volunteers take the request for fingerprinting personally, said Reading.
But police have told her to pass on the messages to the coaches that it’s nothing personal. “Please make sure they know that we’re not targeting them,” she said.
Lench said if the prints don’t match, they’re destroyed in Ottawa. He said later that so far 58 sets of prints have been sent in from the detachment.
So far, five coaches Golden Ears United Soccer have been told to submit their prints. While other parents step into help with the teams, “It’s hard on us,” Reading said.
She said any adult helping out with a team – managers, coaches, assistant coaches – all have to go do a basic criminal record check.
The association has about 190 teams and more than 2,000 players from five to 17.
News of the policy change though hasn’t reached the Ridge Meadows Minor Hockey Association, which has about 1,000 kids playing hockey, supervised by about 300 coaches and managers.
“It’s news to me. I haven’t heard about any of this,” said Glen Mund, president of the association.
The group requires all coaches and managers to have a criminal record check every two years and to take abuse prevention course. Mund said he would have expected to hear from Hockey Canada about any changes.
“I like the idea. It makes sense,” he said.
It’s another check and balance to make sure kids are protected. So far, no coaches have been come forward to say they have to be fingerprinted.
The new rules though, so far, are not affecting the people managing the 1,200 volunteers who help run the swimming, senior or youth programs in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Kathryn Baird, recreation coordinator, special events and volunteers, with the District of Maple Ridge, said no volunteers have yet been told they need to be fingerprinted.
“We haven’t had any yet come forward yet.”
Discussion of new rules, though, will be at the top of the list when municipal volunteer coordinators meet in Burnaby this month. Baird said the general approach will be to try to increase lead time in screening volunteers to allow for the fingerprinting process.
“We will support the new system,” and work with the RCMP, Baird said.
She added standard criminal record checks are now an accepted part of volunteer screening and required of everyone, in addition to ongoing supervision of volunteers.
People appreciate that because it makes a safe work place. “That’s part of having a safe volunteer program.”
“Our goal is to make sure our programs are safe.”
The Volunteer Centre operated out of community services will also discuss the issue.
