Bayfm's "The Plain Truth" explores the topic of sexual consent and how peer pressure can distort it

    Thursday, 25 September 2025 06:00

    By Tonya Organ

    The show’s host, Paula Sheppard, says consent is a complex issue that probably isn’t well understood and one example of that is a case from this summer which involved charges against 5 hockey players that garnered a lot of media attention.

    On Bayfm’s the Plain Truth last week, the topic was sexual consent. The guest was Allison Caines, who is the Violence Prevention and SARA Coordinator, which stands for Sexual Assault Response and Advocacy. She says this consent has to be mutual and voluntarily made without any form of pressure or manipulation.

    The show’s host, Paula Sheppard, says consent is a complex issue that probably isn’t well understood and one example of that is a case from this summer which involved charges against 5 hockey players that garnered a lot of media attention.

    Caines says the case involved five former members of Canada’s World Junior Hockey team in 2018, and the accusation came from an incident at a gala in Ontario during June of that year. She says the survivor was named “EM” and she was 20 years old at the time alleging she did have consent with only one of the men. Caines says in July of this year, all five men were acquitted, due to her testimony not being credible or reliable, and that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. She says power imbalances and peer pressure can definitely distort or undermine true consent.

     

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