Ex-Canucks player Willie Mitchell accused of sexually assaulting woman in Tofino
It has been three years since a Tofino fishing event was abruptly cancelled, amid what a resort co-owned by former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Willie Mitchell called “highly inappropriate behaviour.”
Few details were shared publicly in the weeks, months, and years since, perhaps until now.
A woman has filed a lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging that Willie Mitchell sexually assaulted her at his Tofino home on the night of Sept. 11, 2022, according to reports from Patrick Johnston of Postmedia and the CBC’s Karin Larsen.
According to those reports, the woman said that Mitchell drove her to his home and had unprotected sex with her, without her consent. The 26-year-old woman was in an “altered level of consciousness secondary to her extreme intoxication,” according to the claim.
Mitchell was a co-owner of the Tofino Resort and Marina, while the woman worked as a server at the resort’s restaurant, 1909 Kitchen and Bar. She allegedly became intoxicated at the resort’s pub, The Hatch, following her shift at the restaurant.
The allegations have yet to be tested in court.
Cryptic statements were released by both the Tofino Resort and Marina and The Hatch back in September 2022.
“We were extremely upset to hear about highly inappropriate behaviour connected to one of our annual events. Our first concern is for our staff, and we are responding to the needs of those affected,” read a statement posted to Tofino Resort and Marina’s website three years ago.
“The safety and well-being of our team takes the upmost priority during this time,” The Hatch added in a social-media post.
Mitchell, 48, retired from pro hockey in 2016. The Port McNeill, B.C. native played four seasons with the Canucks, from 2006 to 2010.