At first glance, a small-claims lawsuit looks like a $6,000 squabble between the Ontario Cycling Association and a father, Jeff Archbold, who alleges his teenaged daughter was “illegally” suspended from elite provincial programs after he complained about a coach.But the crux of Archbold’s claim transcends his demand for legal fees and training costs.The 51-year-old’s accusations hinge on his right as a parent to question a coach’s sexual history — citing the sport’s code of conduct and ethics as grounds to ask about his hiring — without eliciting reprisals “to silence him,” according to allegations contained within Archbold’s complaint.“I will do whatever it takes to try to change the culture,” Archbold said in an interview, claiming cycling officials breached their own bylaws and policies in disciplining him, then his daughter Ema.“(And to) make sure kids and parents know that they should be able to ask questions and feel comfortable.” In its statement of defence, the Ontario Cycling Association denies all of Archbold’s allegations and “specifically, denies all claims of bad faith, breach of contract and failure to adhere to internal bylaws and policies with respect to the disciplinary proceedings” described in the claim. The association also asked the court to dismiss the case. The allegations contained in the lawsuit have not been tested in court.In Archbold’s claim, the Toronto-based engineer alleges that the sport’s discipline panel made him apologize to veteran coach Rick Lee in “retaliation” for Archbold privately “discussing his discomfort” with other adults about the provincial body periodically using Lee to train youth cyclists, including his daughter.Lee, an Australian native, was cleared 11 years ago of rape charges levelled by a teenaged girl he’d met on an adult dating website to arrange a sexual enco ...
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