Frequently Asked Questions

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Conflict Resolution (CR) Coordinators are trained volunteers from the PTSL community who act as the main point of contact in a situation of conflict or harm for a season.

    Depending on the situation, they may provide Support, or organize Facilitated Dialogues or Arbitrations when requested. Their role isn’t to act as a therapist but to hold space compassionately and support members in solving their conflicts themselves.

    CR Coordinators cannot:

    • decide on consequences for people who have caused harm

    • simultaneously hold this role and be on an Arbitration Committee

  • In some situations of conflict and harm, a formal complaint will be submitted. When this happens, an arbitration committee (AC) of 5 PTSL members will be assembled to listen to the perspectives of all involved parties and vote on any consequences or next steps, like a jury.

    These 5 arbitration committee members will be selected from a list of AC volunteers, provided they are available and have no conflicts of interest.

    Each team will provide 1-2 volunteers each season to make up the AC volunteer list. We encourage all members to take a turn in this role to foster community ownership of league conflict resolution.

    AC volunteers cannot:

    • simultaneously hold this role and that of CR Coordinator

    • volunteer for this role in consecutive seasons, unless there are no other volunteers from their team. We want to avoid burnout!

  • All CR Coordinators and AC members must sign the PTSL Confidentiality Statement, whether or not they ever support a conflict resolution or arbitration process.

    The Confidentiality Statement applies to all discussions, information received, and decisions made within the processes and in the communications leading up to them.

    For more information, review the “Confidentiality Statement” sections of the Conflict Resolution Policy and the Formal Complaint and Arbitration Policy.

    • If a CR Coordinator or AC volunteer has a conflict of interest, they are expected to name it as soon as they are aware of it. They must decline to serve on that particular process but are still bound to honour the Confidentiality Statement.

    • Members have the right to request that a different CR Coordinator or AC member be assigned in the case of a conflict of interest that wasn’t named.

    • If a member who holds a leadership role within PTSL is involved in a formal complaint, their roles and responsibilities will be temporarily suspended for the duration of their process.


    For more information, review the “Conflict of Interest” sections of the Conflict Resolution Policy and Formal Complaint and Arbitration Policy.

Restorative Approaches

  • Advice for addressing the other person yourself.

    A strong community is one whose members have the support, tools and opportunity to effectively resolve conflict and address harm in accountable and reparative ways. We encourage and support our members to strengthen their conflict resolution skills by addressing their concerns informally with the individuals involved when appropriate.

    It can be challenging, but our CR Team is here to listen and help you find your way. When in doubt, you can engage them for confidential help with this approach. Sometimes, addressing the other person directly by yourself isn’t the right approach, and that’s okay. We can explore other options.

    For more information, review the “Support” section of the Conflict Resolution Policy.

  • Addressing the other person with a mediator present.

    What to expect:

    • The CR Team will pay for a professional third party mediator, or arrange a free community mediator if needed.

    • The mediator will arrange a time to speak separately with participants, collect a statement from each, and assess if it’s appropriate to hold the dialogue, paying special attention to any potential safety concerns.

    • If deemed appropriate, they will work to create a safe space for participants to listen to and be heard by one another, identify needs, and develop a plan for repair and changed behaviour (if required).

    Options:

    • We recommend being open to in-person (or virtual) dialogue before things escalate.

    • In the event this isn’t an option, a facilitated dialogue can be conducted via written communication or a proxy (a stand-in person for the harmed party).

      For more information, review the “Facilitated Dialogue” sections (in-person or distance) in the Conflict Resolution Policy.

  • We hope you will work with us at PTSL to engage in these conflict resolution processes in good faith, staying open to repair over punishment whenever possible.

    That said, all restorative processes (support and facilitated dialogue) are voluntary and consent-based (participants can change their minds at any time) and exist to offer members a non-punitive option for resolution.

    If these options are unsuccessful, unavailable, or members don’t want to participate in them, they can submit a formal complaint for arbitration at any time.

    The Arbitration Committee (AC) will consider the willingness (or lack thereof) of all parties to participate in restorative processes in good faith when deciding potential consequences.

  • Good policy has room to evolve as a community's needs change over time. Feedback on our policies is encouraged!

    We can only address needs once they’ve been identified, so we encourage you to submit your constructive feedback in the following form.

    For more information, review the “Feedback and Updating the CR Policy” section of the Conflict Resolution Policy.

Formal Complaint & Arbitration

  • Involvement of an Arbitration Committee in deciding consequences.

    In the event that restorative options are unsuccessful, unavailable, or members don’t want to participate in them, they can submit a formal complaint at any time. The complaint will be heard by an Arbitration Committee (AC), which has the authority to determine consequences on behalf of the league.

    What to expect:

    • A member fills out this form

    • The CR Team contacts them to discuss.

    • If their situation meets the criteria, the CR Team will reach out to the AC volunteer list and share with them the completed form, requesting 5 AC members to hear the complaint.

    • The CR Team reaches out to the person the complaint is about to inform them and share a copy of the completed form.

    • An arbitration date is set that works for everyone involved as much as possible.

    • Both parties provide documentation of their perspectives for the AC to review before the arbitration.

    • On the day of the arbitration, both perspectives are heard and, if applicable, may include one witness per party.

    • The AC asks any questions they have of the parties.

    • Each party provides a concluding statement (optional), which may include what they believe is an appropriate consequence and why.

    • The AC will discuss and vote on consequences or next steps.

  • Most seasons, PTSL members will have three options for conflict resolution: support, facilitated dialogue (in-person or distance) and formal complaint + arbitration.

    All restorative processes (support and facilitated dialogue) are voluntary and consent-based (participants can change their minds at anytime) and exist to offer members a non-punitive option for resolution.

    If these options are unsuccessful, unavailable, or members don’t want to participate in them, they can submit a formal complaint for arbitration at any time, which is mandatory.

    A member may decide not to attend an arbitration they have been called to, but the process will still continue, and decisions can be made even in their absence.

  • Members subject to an Arbitration Committee (AC) decision have the right to appeal if:

    • relevant new information (not previously provided to the AC) is submitted in writing (letter or email) within 24 hours and/or one business day, where applicable, of receiving the arbitration outcome email.

    For more information, review the “Appeal Process” section of the Formal Complaint and Arbitration Policy.


    Additionally, the following consequences can be petitioned to the Board for change after no less than a 12-month period:

    • Loss of leadership role

    • Loss of membership

  • In alignment with PTSL’s goals of accountability and repair through non-punitive means whenever possible, this process is meant to be used as a last resort.

    Members may exercise this option in the following circumstances:

    • They participated in a restorative process organized by the CR Team, but it was unsuccessful.

    • One or both parties refuses to engage in restorative approaches.

    Formal complaint and Arbitration will be automatically used in situations involving:

    • A red card issued to a player by the referee.

    • A threat of or an act of physical/sexual violence.

    • A slur (racial, transphobic, ableist, or any against a protected group under Canadian law) directed at a person or group.

    • Extra-legal conflicts or harm (ex. a restraining order is in effect).

    • A member submitted a formal complaint they knew to be false.

      Note: If the Support and Facilitated Dialogue options are not offered in a given season, then the league will exclusively use the Formal Complaint and Arbitration process to address any conflicts or harms brought forward.

  • Consequences determined by the Arbitration Committee (AC) during arbitration may include:

    • No consequences: The complaint is deemed unsubstantiated, false or impossible to verify.

    • Restorative approaches: A recommendation for parties to work with the CR Team on a facilitated dialogue (in-person or distance, as needed).

    • Warnings: Problematic behaviour is identified and noted. The persistence of the behaviour will be seriously considered by the AC when determining consequences.

    • Restrictions: Conditions may be placed on their continued membership or leadership role.

    • Suspension: Players may be suspended from a certain number of games/events or temporarily lose their membership and/or leadership role.

    • Loss of Leadership Role: Loss of the right to hold a particular leadership role.

    • Loss of Membership: A recommendation will be submitted to the Board to end their membership.

  • The Formal Complaint and Arbitration (FCA) Policy is a more punitive option that we’ve kept as we continue to develop our restorative approach. Suggestions on how to make this process more accountable, reparative, and relationship-oriented are especially appreciated.

    Please use the following form to provide feedback.

    For more information, review the “Feedback and Updating the FCA Policy” section of the Formal Complaint and Arbitration Policy.