In a lawsuit filed to the Ontario Superior Court in April, a woman said she was sexually assaulted by eight Canadian Hockey League players in a hotel room in the province.

An out-of-court settlement was reached but Hockey Canada's handling of the incident has been criticised.

Hockey Canada's decision to reopen the investigation follows weeks of public pressure which has seen the Canadian Government freeze its access to public funds and some sponsors suspend their partnerships with the embattled organisation.

The investigation will remain in the hands of an independent third party and will require all players to participate.

"Those who do not [participate] will be banned from all Hockey Canada activities and programs effective immediately," read an open letter from the governing body.

"The investigation, once complete, will be referred to an independent adjudicative panel of current and former judges who will determine the appropriate consequences, which may include a lifetime ban from Hockey Canada activity, on and off the ice.

"We acknowledge the courage of the young woman involved and respect her decision to participate with the investigation in the manner she chooses."

Hockey Canada is additionally set to introduce mandatory sexual violence and consent training for all high-performance players, coaches, team staff, and volunteers.

A full governance review of the organisation is due to take place while it has committed to becoming a full signatory to the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC).

The final step that will be introduced immediately is a new independent and confidential complaint system.

It will ensure that complaints about past and present issues will be referred to the OSIC and aims to "provide victims and survivors with the tools and support to come forward".

Hockey Canada is due to release an action plan that outlines further steps that are being taken to improve the culture of the sport, with the goal of ensuring the safety, welfare, and well-being of all stakeholders.

Last month, Hockey Canada had its Government funding frozen due to the mismanagement of the case, which amounted to approximately CAD7.8 million (£4.8 million/$6 million/€5.7 million) of income disappearing.

Victims rights advocate and former National Hockey League (NHL) player Sheldon Kennedy said he appreciates the language and tone of the open letter from Hockey Canada which was absent when the allegations first came to light.

"Good first step," said Kennedy, as reported by The Canadian Press, whose Respect Group works with youth and junior programmes across Canada.

 "The follow-up they should be able to speak with their actions.

"There's a lot of distrust with the way that case was initially handled.

"They need to build back the trust. 

"And that's by walking the walk, that's by doing the work."

The NHL is also conducting an investigation because some of the players are in the league, but is not making participation mandatory.

The scandal involving Hockey Canada is one of several safeguarding issues to have hit Canadian sport in recent times.

Last month, Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge announced new eligibility requirements which are to come into force in April 2023, whereby organisations will need to meet specific governance, accountability and safe sport criteria to receive Government money.

The OSIC is also being created to provide a way for all participants in sport to report abuse and mistreatment, with CAD16 million (£10.3 million/$12.4 million/€11.8 million) due to be invested in it over the next three years.