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Accusations fly as Richmond minor hockey meeting approaches

Jets board claims president Carolyn Hart failed to divulge knowledge of $147,000 account, while Hart attests board members knew all about it
Jets

More sparks are flying ahead of this week’s potentially heated special general meeting to oust the president of the Richmond Jets Minor Hockey Association (RJMHA).

The Richmond News reported last month how the year-old Jets – born out of a merger of rival clubs Richmond Minor and Seafair – were immersed in an apparent power struggle, with president Carolyn Hart refusing a board demand for her to step down.

Last Thursday morning, the RJMHA board emailed a “fact sheet” to the parent membership, outlining its reasons for calling for Hart’s resignation at the SGM on Thursday evening.

The email honed in on the appearance this summer of an old Richmond Minor Hockey tournament account worth $147,000, which the board claims it had no previous knowledge of, while Hart, they say, did.

The board claims this breached an agreement when the clubs joined forces last year, with all funds being poured into one account.

Carolyn Hart
Carolyn Hart. Photo: Wendel Genosa

“The Board has determined that the President breached certain legal duties owed to the Association through her conduct and omissions, resulting in a deterioration of the trust existing between the President and the Board,” read the board’s “fact sheet.”

“On January 22, 2019, the President advised the Board that all RMHA accounts were closed. The President did not at this time advise the Board that funds held in RMHA’s Tournament Accounts remained outstanding.”

Hart’s “failure to advise the Board of outstanding RMHA Tournament funds is considered by the Board to represent a breach of the President’s duty to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Association.”   

Responding to the “fact sheet,” Hart told the News that, having worked and volunteered in this community for her entire adult life, she doesn’t “appreciate being called dishonest or a liar. I can state, unequivocally that I am neither.

“I want to continue to serve minor hockey families in Richmond. I think that I bring an important perspective of inclusion and respect for every child and family. I think that people who know me well, know that.

“I have committed to retaining the position that I was elected to last February. I believe that the majority of the Richmond Jets membership want me to continue as President.”

As for the $147,000 tournament account, Hart claimed it was “widely known that each Richmond Minor Hockey Association tournament had their own bank account…Every past and present member of the Richmond Jets Board of Directors knew that the RMHA tournaments had bank accounts.

“I was not a signing officer on any of the accounts nor did I serve on any of the tournament committees other than occasionally helping with tournament work like early morning timekeeping or maintaining a presence at Richmond Ice Centre. There is absolutely no money missing.

“Every penny of the money that is referenced in the ‘Fact Sheet’ is recorded in the 2018/19 Financial Statements that were emailed to the Board today and that will be presented to the membership next Thursday.”

To muddy the waters further, Hart - who was the long-time president of Richmond Minor prior to the merger - has lodged a bullying complaint with BC Hockey against four Jets directors and one former director.