A former member of Nova Scotia's Olympic sailing training program has filed a lawsuit against national and provincial governing bodies, claiming they ignored her report of a sexual assault. The complainant, who is from British Columbia, alleges that she was assaulted by a teammate in July 2024 while training and coaching in Nova Scotia. At the time, she was 21 years old.

The lawsuit, which seeks $9 million in damages, states that the complainant reported the incident to supervisors at Sail Canada and Sail Nova Scotia ten days after it occurred. According to her lawyer, Mike Smitiuch, the governing bodies did not take her report seriously and retaliated against her. "My client reported the rape, but sailing authorities failed to take it seriously," Smitiuch said in a statement. "Sail Canada and its Nova Scotia affiliate failed my client."

Following her report, the lawsuit claims that her supervisors removed her from team communications and group chats. Additionally, several teammates allegedly blocked her on social media, leading to her isolation from training activities. Smitiuch described the situation as a case of an "Old Boys club trying to make a young female's rape accusation go away."

The lawsuit also alleges that the governing bodies did not report the assault to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner, which oversees a code of conduct for federally funded sports organizations. Since April 1, this code has been managed by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.

Kate MacLennan, chair of the board of directors at Sail Canada, stated that the organization will fully cooperate with the legal process. "Our immediate thoughts are with the plaintiff and her well-being," MacLennan said. She added that Sail Canada became aware of the situation last year and has worked with the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner to ensure compliance with all policies. "At Sail Canada, we remain steadfast in our desire to be one of the safest and most inclusive sports in the Canadian sport system."

The complainant was part of the Nova Scotia Olympic skiff sailing team and worked as a sailing instructor at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. The lawsuit claims that after reporting the assault, she experienced ongoing harassment at work, including being pressured to share details of the incident in front of her colleagues.

The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron declined to comment on the allegations, citing the ongoing legal proceedings. However, they emphasized that the safety and well-being of all members and participants is their highest priority. They also stated that they are committed to strengthening programs and policies to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for sailing.

The lawsuit further alleges that in the fall of 2024, coaches and employees of the sailing organizations coordinated efforts to cover up the assault. It claims that they failed to report reasonable suspicions of sexual maltreatment and did not provide adequate protection or support for the complainant. Additionally, the lawsuit states that they did not enforce any suspensions or removals of the coaches and athletes allegedly involved.

The lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, where Sail Canada is headquartered. Sail Nova Scotia has not yet commented on the matter. None of the allegations in the lawsuit have been tested in court.