Longtime board member describes state of affairs as ‘very corrupt manipulation of the rights of members of the affiliation’; Ontario physique to supervise second vote
Orillia Minor Hockey’s board of administrators is going through vital inner discord following a contentious amalgamation vote and a sequence of resignations which have now been rescinded.
In response to an e-mail obtained by Village Media, Steve Fagan, board president, and Nathalie Cansino, board vice-president, resigned from the board on Jan. 23.
In the identical e-mail, Fagan introduced the Ontario Minor Hockey Affiliation (OMHA) had overturned the votes of each Orillia and Oro Minor Hockey to merge their rep packages.
Within the e-mail, Fagan claims Brad Carnahan, director of sponsorship on the Orillia board, and two longtime native coaches had petitioned OMHA to overturn the choice, alleging misinformation had influenced the vote.
“It is not surprising in today’s political climate that those who yell the loudest and lie on the ground kicking and screaming the most get what they want,” Fagan wrote in his e-mail. “In my opinion, this is self-serving and short-sighted.”
Fagan argued the “recent action by Brad Carnahan is not in the best interest of our membership (the players) or community at large and I think Orillia Minor Hockey will suffer greatly from this shortsightedness.”
Brad Carnahan, a life member of Orillia Minor Hockey, has raised considerations in regards to the voting course of used to find out if an amalgamation of the rep packages in Orillia and Oro ought to merge. Orillia Minor Hockey president Steve Fagan suspended Carnahan from the board this week. | File picture
Carnahan confirmed to Village Media that he petitioned OMHA on Jan. 22, requesting an emergency evaluate of the merger vote and its cancellation.
He alleges the voting course of was flawed, claiming non-parent members had been allowed to vote regardless of earlier assurances solely mother and father of present gamers may take part.
“We were also told that only parents could vote, and none of our other association members, such as current non-parent coaches, life members, etc., would be allowed to vote,” Carnahan said in his e-mail to OMHA.
He additional argued the vote outcomes didn’t meet the required two-thirds majority and accused the affiliation of withholding the ultimate vote rely.
“At this point, the association has refused to divulge the vote count to the members who have requested it,” he wrote.
“We now believe that it did not reach the published two-thirds majority. Many parents claim to have voted ‘no,’ so are now asking how is it possible that the vote reached the two-thirds majority when large majorities of team parents voted ‘no’ and have begun to discuss the results.”
Carnahan described the state of affairs as a “very corrupt manipulation of the rights of members of the association.”
Amid the fallout, he claims a discover to board members was initially anticipated Monday night time to convene a particular assembly to deal with the difficulty and proceed affiliation enterprise.
Nonetheless, a subsequent discover revealed Fagan, Cansino and three different board members who had resigned — Chad White, director of training and improvement, Gord Bremner, director of kit, and administrative assistant Jen McLean — had been rescinding their resignations.
“I’ve reconsidered my resignation for the benefit of the organization and the players of Orillia Minor Hockey. The OMHA is aware,” Fagan wrote in an e-mail despatched Monday night time and obtained by OrilliaMatters.
Carnahan contends the dearth of quorum (having sufficient board members to fulfill) prevented the board from formally acknowledging the resignations, enabling the members to reclaim their positions.
“Normally, the board would have acknowledged the resignations,” he defined. “Because we didn’t have a quorum, we couldn’t do any of that.”
On Tuesday, Carnahan says, he acquired discover from Fagan that he was suspended from the board and his function as a U18 group coach. Carnahan believes the suspension was associated to his determination to problem the vote and to e-mail board members extra details about the merger.
“I provided them with facts that they probably didn’t know — facts that weren’t being told to them about how the merger may impact their kids. It wasn’t well received,” stated Carnahan, who can also be a life member of Orillia Minor Hockey for his a long time of volunteer work.
Regardless of the continuing turmoil, Carnahan anticipates a re-vote on the amalgamation subsequent month. Nonetheless, he’s unsure how the controversy will have an effect on the membership.
“I don’t think the actual parents and players are going to care that much necessarily,” he stated. “They just want a good place to play on a good team. I don’t think they are necessarily going to involve themselves in the politics of minor hockey, which are awful right now.”
In an e-mail to OrilliaMatters on Tuesday afternoon, Fagan confirmed all board members who resigned are returning to their earlier roles. He stated they’re returning to make sure all gamers in rep and home league get to expertise a “positive ending” to their 2024-25 season.
“The Orillia Minor Hockey board has always supported the reorganization of our rep program with Oro Minor Hockey,” he stated. “The board believes that this will benefit all players in rep and house league/local league in Orillia (and Oro) by providing a wider range of local options to play hockey.”
Fagan confirmed the choice to amalgamate with Oro will likely be decided by membership by means of one other vote.
“There will be an announcement to all members later today to vote on the question of reorganization of our rep program with Oro Minor Hockey,” he defined. “The Ontario Minor Hockey Association has provided the criteria to follow, all documentation to follow, will oversee the vote, count the votes, and determine the final results. They will ensure the fairness and validity of the vote and results.”
Officers from OMHA didn’t reply to Village Media’s requests for remark.
