KINGSTON, ON, Sept. 24, 2025 /CNW/ - A B.C. woman launched a lawsuit against Sail Canada and Sail Nova Scotia on Tuesday, alleging they failed to act when the athlete complained about being sexually assaulted.

The Toronto lawyer who represents the woman hopes the lawsuit against the governing body for sailing in Canada will put institutions on notice that they must start treating sexual assault complaints far more seriously.

"I'm worried that the outcome of the recent Hockey Canada trial has put a chill on victims coming forward to complain," said Mike Smitiuch, the founder of Smitiuch Injury Law. "It also appears that some institutions didn't learn any lessons from what happened in the hockey world."

The lawsuit filed in a Kingston court, the eastern Ontario city where Sail Canada's headquarters is located, contends the organization failed to follow its protocols after a 21-year-old female sailor alleged she was raped by her teammate.

The woman says the rape occurred in Nova Scotia in July 2024 while she was in a training program.

Smitiuch said the young woman was ignored and subjected to "shaming" by the leaders and members of Sail Canada and Sail Nova Scotia. He also pointed out that it is alleged in the claim that two of the men involved have since been promoted to positions of increased authority at sailing clubs in other provinces.

"My client reported the rape but sailing authorities failed to take it seriously," said Smitiuch. "Even worse the lawsuit alleges they retaliated by bullying and ostracizing my client, then willfully conspired to sweep the whole thing under the carpet."

Several other parties are included in the lawsuit, including the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron.

"Sail Canada and its Nova Scotia affiliate failed my client," said Smitiuch. "This is a case of an 'old boys club' trying to make a young female's rape accusation go away. She is determined to make sailing safer for girls by holding all those complicit accountable."

SOURCE Smitiuch Injury Law Professional Corporation