A call for the resignation of Hockey Lévis’ general manager has emerged after allegations of surveillance on a family’s home and obstruction of two children’s team transfers, as reported by a recent column from Radio-Canada.
The Radio-Canada column highlighted a family’s struggle to enroll their children in the Sport Loisir Québec Nord-Est (SLQNE) sports organization in Quebec City. The parents, unnamed in the report for privacy reasons, resorted to legal assistance to secure hockey opportunities closer to their workplace.
Benoit Forget-Chiasson, a city councilor in Lévis, expressed concerns and emphasized the need for transparency in addressing the situation, questioning the integrity of Hockey Lévis.
Following the publication of the column, Manuel Charron-Paris, a parent and coach at Hockey Lévis, initiated a petition demanding the resignation of André Lévesque, the organization’s general manager. Charron-Paris was subsequently relieved of his coaching responsibilities, sparking further scrutiny of Hockey Lévis’ management practices.
The petition, supported by 350 signatures, reflects widespread apprehension among parents, coaches, and players regarding the governance of Hockey Lévis. Despite Hockey Lévis attributing the coach’s dismissal to ethical obligations, concerns persist over the handling of dissent within the organization.
The central issue arose when a family attempted to register their two children with SLQNE after relocating to Quebec City. Despite providing documentation of their new address, Hockey Lévis insisted on releasing their son based on territorial eligibility rules, leading to a prolonged dispute over player transfers.
While Hockey Québec’s residency-based eligibility rule aims to prevent team poaching, other federations like the Ontario Hockey Federation have adopted more flexible player movement regulations. The refusal to transfer the children by Levesque in 2025 escalated tensions, prompting legal intervention and eventual conditional release for the 2025-26 season.
Allegations of a private investigator surveilling the family added a contentious layer to the conflict, with suspicions of unauthorized monitoring by Hockey Lévis. The organization denied these claims but emphasized adherence to Hockey Québec regulations while expressing openness to territorial rule reviews.
As the City of Lévis monitors developments, emphasizing youth well-being in sports organizations, the community calls for transparency and accountability to safeguard the integrity of youth sports programs. Both Hockey Lévis and Hockey Québec have refrained from commenting further on the matter.
