Articles by author: Brock University

• Lack of transparency continues to erode public trust as Hockey Canada suspensions upheld, says Brock expert

  Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY — Aug. 19, 2026 — R0070

  An independent appeal board’s confirmation that five members of Canada’s 2018 World Junior hockey team breached Hockey Canada’s code of conduct reveals the need for greater transparency in the review process, says a Brock University expert.

  “There is a strange contradiction at the heart of this decision, which is that Hockey Canada has imposed serious consequences, but Canadians are still not allowed to know why,” says Assistant Professor of Sport Management Taylor McKee.

  Last week, Hockey Canada shared the appeal board’s findings that five players breached the code of conduct of the sport’s national governing body. Four of the players — Cal Foote, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Michael McLeod — will remain suspended from Hockey Canada-sanctioned programs on staggered timelines through 2030, while the fifth player, Alex Formenton, was reinstated immediately.

  With Hockey Canada citing confidentiality requirements under the procedures that were in place when the investigation began, the reasoning behind the appeal board’s conclusions remain confidential. While that reasoning may explain the secrecy, McKee says it is not compatible with an organization now promising transparency.

  “We do not know what specific conduct was attributed to each player, how the board distinguished between them or why one player was reinstated immediately while another remains suspended until 2030,” he says. “I have sincere sympathy for the position that Hockey Canada is in, but I don’t think Canadians are in the mood to be giving the benefit of the doubt to hockey institutions.”

  McKee notes that while a criminal acquittal determines whether the Crown proved a criminal offence beyond a reasonable doubt, Hockey Canada has a separate obligation to decide what conduct is compatible with representing the country.

  But, as he sees it, accountability is not punishment without explanation.

  “The public cannot judge whether these sanctions are proportionate, whether the same standards will be applied in future cases or whether any institutional failures were considered,” he says.

  McKee, whose research examines hockey culture, sport policy and the broader social and political dimensions of sport in Canada, says Hockey Canada is not an ordinary sport organization. Its role governing a game that Canadians invest extraordinary cultural meaning, public money and trust in means it should be loudly inviting — not objecting to — the highest standard of scrutiny, he says.

  “Leadership matters most when a decision is unpopular. If Hockey Canada believes confidentiality prevents it from releasing the appeal board’s report, it should explain that limitation as fully as possible,” he says.

  Canadians are being asked to applaud accountability largely on faith, and while McKee concedes that may be better than no consequences, he says it falls well short of the transparent system Hockey Canada claims to be building.

  “Real cultural reform would mean explaining decisions to the fullest extent possible while still protecting legitimate privacy interests.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256 

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  Categories: Media releases

• How smart speakers can help older adults age at home

  Wednesday, August 19, 2026 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE — Aug. 19, 2026 — R0069

  Contrary to popular belief, older adults are ready, willing and able to adopt new technologies that improve their sense of well-being, says Alisa Grigorovich.

  “There’s a lot of negative assumptions that older people can’t, or don’t want to, learn new technologies, but our research definitely demonstrates that that’s not true,” says the Brock University Associate Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies.

  Her international research team is conducting a long-running study to better understand how commercially available voice-activated technologies can support people who choose to age in their homes by observing whether and why older adults integrate this technology into their daily life.

  Being able to control home devices or search the internet using conversational technologies like smart speakers or voice assistants can be particularly helpful for older adults who develop vision or dexterity challenges as they age, Grigorovich says.

  “We think voice technologies can support older adults’ daily activities, leisure interests, social connections and other goals they have,” she says. “But there’s not a lot of research yet that explores the value of these technologies in comparison to others already in use and how technologies can be redesigned or improved to fit older people’s real lives.”

  The first phase of the three-part study focused on the Google Nest Hub, a smart device that has a built-in Google Assistant, a touchscreen display and a speaker.

  A group of 22 participants aged 55 and older from across Ontario were trained to use the devices in their homes for a six-month period. At various points during that time, they filled out surveys and were interviewed by researchers.

  The goal was to understand how older adults used the voice assistant, the challenges they experienced, the resources that supported their use of the tool and the value these technologies added to their lives.

  “The participants were all very keen, very interested and wanted to learn,” Grigorovich says. “They appreciated the opportunity to try out this new technology and have support if they needed it. Most of them did not require much technical support.”

  She and her team described their preliminary phase one results during a presentation at the International Society for Gerontology’s World Conference in Vancouver earlier this year. Their findings include:

  • Participants used the device mostly for reminders and timers, music and other entertainment, and weather forecasts.
  • Most participants used the device several times every day.
  • Common challenges included difficulties with speech recognition, such as the voice assistant not understanding the user or not responding as they want it to.
  • Participants often learned by trial and error and tended to focus on their favourite activity.

  The second phase of the research, which the team is working on now, involves an online survey of 600 older adults across Canada using different voice assistants on various devices. The survey will explore how often participants use these tools, what they use the tools for and the impact these technologies have on participants’ well-being and goals for aging in place.

  In the final phase, the researchers will work with a group of participants to co-design supports to help older adults living at home use voice assistants to enhance their health and well-being.

  Funding this work is the Government of Canada’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

  Grigorovich’s international research team includes experts in gerontology and aging, human-computer interaction, sociology, psychology and information systems. They are based at the University of Bern in Switzerland, McMaster University, Nova Scotia Health, Trent University, University of Prince Edward Island, University of the West of Scotland, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Western University and Wilfred Laurier University.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  *Maryanne St. Denis, Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Brock University, [email protected] or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases