Chelsey St-Pierre and Beryl Wajsman

Hockey coach suspended after having young players inhale stimulant

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A youth hockey coach in the Hudson-Rigaud-St-Lazare region has been suspended after allegedly telling young players, including 10-year-olds, to inhale ammonia salts in the team locker room without parental consent. The allegations have sparked outrage in the local hockey community.

“To you, the coach who made my 10-year-old son inhale ammonia… you who disrespected him and essentially drugged him,” wrote Noémie Léger in a scathing social media post. “You who violated his integrity, his passion for hockey, and his trust.” Léger, who is also a teacher, scolded the coach on her post for “abusing” his position of authority.

The coach, Matt Bruno, allegedly administered ammonia salts, commonly known as smelling salts, to the majority of his Atom AA team players behind closed doors. After discovering the practice, Léger filed formal complaints with Hockey Quebec and the Lac St-Louis Minor Hockey Association.

Medical experts warn that smelling salts can cause respiratory reactions, vomiting, and in severe cases, seizures. The practice is particularly concerning in youth sports, where young athletes may feel pressured to comply with authority figures.

While the Quebec Provincial Police (SQ) has decided not to pursue a criminal investigation, Hockey Quebec is expected to release an official statement banning the substance in minor hockey. The organization has already removed Bruno from his coaching position, and additional disciplinary actions have been taken against other team staff members who were aware of the practice.

“You don’t deserve to be behind the bench,” Léger concluded in her letter, which has since garnered significant attention from concerned parents and hockey officials across the region.

The incident has sparked a broader discussion about player safety and consent in youth sports, with many calling for stricter oversight of coaching practices and clearer guidelines about prohibited substances in minor hockey. n

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Pierre Poilievre makes swing through West Island and West End

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

By Chelsey St-Pierre and Beryl Wajsman, Editor
The Suburban

Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made a swing through West Island and West End Montreal on Monday. In DDO he met with young people and community leaders at Mandy’s Salads restaurant. Later in the day he was in TMR at ACME Engineering hosted by its President Robert Presser. He looked at ACME’s leading product lines and met with ACME’s staff and local business leaders. Poilievre was accompanied at both events by Conservative candidate for Pierrefonds-Dollard and Dollard-des-Ormeaux City Councillor Tanya Toledano and Conservative candidate for Mount Royal and leading civil rights attorney Neil Oberman.

At Mandy’s, started by sisters Mandy and Rebecca Wolfe and now grown to multiple locations in Montreal and Toronto, Poilievre congratulated the family on its success and stressed the importance of women entrepreneurs. “We can’t wait to unleash the boundless opportunities for women entrepreneurs across Canada,” Poilievre said. “What is great about this business is that it symbolizes all that is great about Canada. People came here from all around the world, not for free stuff but for freedom — the chance to earn a living and to make their own way. The greatest freedom of all is economic freedom (which is) the freedom to start a business, to work hard, to keep the fruits of your labour for your family and your community, to be rewarded with a powerful paycheck and a pension that buys affordable foods and homes in safe neighbourhoods.”

“Women are at the center of our society bearing the most important responsibilities. I can’t understand how they are not treated with top level respect. There is no more room for this apathy,” Oberman told The Suburban.

At ACME — also a family run business started by Presser’s father Steve who recently passed away at 98 — Poilievre continued the theme of encouraging entrepreneurship. He highlighted the road to how ACME became a leader in multiple technologies including gas detection systems. He promised that a Conservative government would cut taxes and red tape to make it easier for companies to like ACME to flourish. He also made a point that his government’s tax cuts would prioritize helping working men and women ”who are the foundation of our economy and nation.” n

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