UPCOMING DEFICIT; WHO KNEW WHAT AND WHEN AT LACROSSE CANADA?

 by Pierre Filion pierrefilion@bell.net

Let’s make sure we have our facts straight.

In 2023-24 Lacrosse Canada presented the members with a balanced budget and at the end of the fiscal year declared a deficit of 194,749.00$.

In 2024-25 Lacrosse Canada presented the members with a balanced budget. At the end of the fiscal year Lacrosse Canada reported a deficit of 850,155.00$.

In 2025-26 Lacrosse Canada presented the members with a balanced budget of 2,426,884.00$ The fiscal year will end on March 31st and we will see what the financial statements will be. What we know for sure is that the president, and the Board members are aware of the situation. They know what the situation is and they know where the money was spent. They know but are not talking.

The provincial presidents don’t have a clue what the financial statements will be as of March 31^st 2026 because there are no monthly reports let alone quarterly reports shared with the provincial presidents. What there is however is a professed value of teamwork: ‘’We achieve more working together in a climate of collaboration and trust’’.

And obviously the paying members won’t know anything about their national association’s finances until the results are posted and the financial audit published. But Lacrosse Canada professes that ‘’We operate with integrity and transparency accepting responsibility for outcomes and results’’

There are a few things that are worth remembering.

The first one being that there is no treasurer elected by the members at Lacrosse Canada. In every other national, provincial, regional or local association there is a treasurer who has the official responsibility of managing the budget and reporting to the members WHO HAVE ELECTED HIM AS TREASURER. Lacrosse Canada is different and we now see where this leads us.

The second thing we know is that there are signing officers who sign the Association’s cheques and spend the Association’s money. At Lacrosse Canada the Executive Director prepares the expenses sheets and the cheques to be signed, signs them and sends them to the president who is the final signing officer. Which means that, if the information is correct, president Shawn Williams and Executive Director Terry Raynor officially spent Lacrosse Canada’s money in 2024-25 (deficit of 850,155.00$) and for the most part of 2025-26. Shawn Williams left the presidency in September 2025 and Matt Shearer (or his appointee) has thus been a signing officer since his nomination.

The third thing we know is that, at Lacrosse Canada, the signing officers don’t seem to care about the Association’s budget and just spend money even if it is clearly over budget. Successive deficits of 194,749.00$ and of 850,155.00$ (total: 1,044,904.00$) indicate clearly that overspending was not a concern of theirs. There were expenses to be paid for and they joyfully paid them, with the members’ money.

The fourth thing we clearly know is that there is an important lack of respect for the members who through their membership fees and other contributions generate monies for the Association. They are presented with a balanced budget; they trust the Board of Directors to manage their money with integrity and transparency and then they wake up with an 850,155.00$ deficit! What’s the point of going through the exercise of preparing a budget, of having it approved, of presenting it to the members and then simply ignoring it? Total lack of respect, two years in a row.

The final thing we know is that there was never any presentation of the detailed Association’s finances and budget in the 2025 minutes of the Board meetings (July 16^th, September 26^th and 27^th, October 30^th and November 12^th). It seems quite probable that the Board members never saw the detailed picture of the Association’s finances. Now why would that be.

So now ‘’we’’ are in our third year (2025-26); the Executive Director has been fired; two Board members elected in September 2025 have resigned in February 2026 and the president is weighing his options to either resign or remain in Office…or to be ‘’fired’’.! Remember the president was a Board member for two years before becoming president; he saw the overspending; he condoned it and never seemed to have raised all hell because of the lack of proper management and respect for the members. Clearly, he is in a tough position to justify remaining in Office. Remember also that the two Board members who have resigned were the appointed treasurer (Brad Caan) and the person in charge of governance and ethics!!! (Alan Preyra). Now why would an appointed treasurer and a Board member in charge of ethics and governance resign after a few months in Office. Asking the question is answering it.

We need to remember that in 2025 there were four expensive international events under the High-Performance portfolio happening between August and October:

The Women’s World Games in China, slightly west of Oshawa!

The U20 World championships in Korea…also west of Oshawa

The Atlas Cup Competition at the USA’s lacrosse Headquarter in Maryland, south of Oshawa!

The World’s Super Sixes competition in Oshawa, finally.

We need to remember that Lacrosse Canada had indicated expenses of 1,078,085$ for the National Teams without detailing each National Team’s specific budget; just a lump sum for someone to manage! Until reporting time. Until the auditors come around.

We need to remember that there was no money in the budget for the National Commissioners and Officials in charge at 7,500$ a head; initially there were to be 4 Commissioners and 4 RICs in charge; finally, there were 5 Commissioners and 9 RICs selected. The Board must have approved this decision (though nothing appears in the Board meeting minutes) but then again why bother with specific numbers when money is not the issue. Until reporting time.

And we also need to remember that there was no provision in the 2025-26 budget for a ‘’scouting trip’’ to Milan (Italy) during the 2026 Olympic Games to prepare Canada’s delegation at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. It would be a surprise if the participants went there on their own dime. It would be a surprise if the Board had approved this travel because of costs; because at the end of the day money is the issue!!

And we must finally remember that ‘’We operate with integrity and transparency accepting responsibility for outcomes and results’’. Integrity and transparency; remember those words as you could use them in a word salad…

Now, with all this happening, should the members expect to have a big surprise again when the 2025-26 financial statements will come out in the open? Will we again look at the third year in a row with a significant deficit? It sure looks like it..

But it does need to be mentioned, if you appreciate humor, that the 2026-27 Lacrosse Canada budget, starting on April Fools’ Day, will be a balanced budget! It was presented that way to the paying members who will need to trust their leaders to act with integrity and transparency.

Lacrosse Canada needs a change in leadership and in attitude. The coming days will tell us if Lacrosse Canada’s members will pick up the challenge of change in leadership and in attitude or if they will choose to accept the fact that history repeats itself and that we, again and again, shoot ourselves in the foot.