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Canadian Tire latest sponsor to end partnership with Hockey Canada

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Canadian Tire Corp. says it is ending its partnership with Hockey Canada due to its handling of alleged sexual assaults.

The decision Thursday comes as a number of big-name sponsors such as Chevrolet Canada, Scotiabank, Telus Corp. and Tim Hortons pulled its sponsorship for hockey’s national governing body.

Canadian Tire spokeswoman Jane Shaw says the organization carefully considered the move.

“In our view, Hockey Canada continues to resist meaningful change and we can no longer confidently move forward together,” Shaw said in a statement.

“CTC is proud of our commitment to sport and will continue to invest in our beloved national game by redirecting support to hockey-related organizations that better align with our values.”

Earlier Thursday, Telus said it will not be sponsoring Hockey Canada’s men’s hockey programs for the 2022-23 season.

Tim Hortons said Wednesday it also won’t support any Hockey Canada men’s programming this season, including the world junior men’s championship in Halifax and Moncton.

Scotiabank said its sponsorship halt of Hockey Canada, first announced in June, will remain in effect throughout the entire 2022-23 season.

Chevrolet Canada also paused its sponsorship of Hockey Canada in June.

The loss of sponsorship comes as Hockey Canada continues to defend its leadership and the way money was paid out in lawsuits involving allegations of group sexual assaults.

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