Former Sicamous Eagles Junior "B" coach Tyler Gunn.
Image Credit: www.sicamouseagles.com
April 11, 2023 - 6:00 PM
A former Shuswap junior hockey coach is suing the Sicamous Eagles for allegedly using COVID as an excuse to get him to work for free.
According to a March 27 Small Claims Court notice of claim, former coach Tyler Gunn is suing the Sicamous Eagles Junior "B" Hockey Club for $13,125 in unpaid wages.
The notice of claim says Gunn started working as a coach for the club in July 2019.
Weeks after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club spoke to Gunn about his coaching contract.
"The (club) lead Mr. Gunn to believe that the Club could not continue to pay him as a result of lost revenue arising from the COVID-19 pandemic," the court document says. "Based on the (club's) representations, Mr. Gunn agreed to work for the (club) without pay."
The notice of claims says in December of that year Gunn learned that the hockey club had sufficient funds to pay him at the time of their April conversation.
"The (club's) misrepresentation as to their ability to pay Mr. Gunn induced Mr. Gunn to agree to new terms of his contract without consideration," the court document says.
Gunn says he was not paid $13,125 from April to August 2020.
"At all material times, Mr. Gunn faithfully and diligently performed his duties on behalf of the (club)," the notice of claim says.
Gunn claims that when he brought up the issue of pay in December 2020 his contract was terminated.
"The (club's) representation about its finances was untrue, inaccurate or misleading. The (club) acted negligently or intentionally in making said misrepresentation. Mr. Gunn relied on the (club’s) misrepresentation to his detriment," the court documents say.
The Sicamous Eagles play in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and were formed in 1994. According to the club's website, it has a yearly budget in excess of $300,000.
Prior to coaching in Sicamous, Gunn had spent four years as an assistant coach with the Princeton Posse.
Gunn claims the club was "unjustly enriched" without any "juristic reason" and claims payment to the full value of his contract.
None of the allegations has been proven in court and the Sicamous Eagles have not yet filed a response to the suit.
The Sicamous Eagles were not immediately available for comment.
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