About Us

Wayne McNeil:

Wayne McNeil served as Trustee and Vice-Chairman of the Rocky View School Division, volunteer President of the Sheldon Kennedy Foundation, which raised over $ 1 Million during the 1998 Cross-Canada Skate to raise awareness for the prevention of child abuse, and was  volunteer Chairman of the Alberta Gymnastics Federation for six years. These volunteer experiences and his social consciousness towards the issue of abuse prevention lead Wayne to co-found Respect Group Inc.; Canada’s first, on-line, abuse, discrimination, bullying and harassment prevention training program for community/sport organizations, schools and corporations. Wayne has a seasoned, professional background in Information Technology and Project Management that he developed through key global positions with Bell Canada, 3Com Corporation and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). This strong IT expertise enabled Wayne to create a solid team and technology approach for Respect Group Inc. Wayne was also instrumental in forging an exclusive partnership with the Canadian Red Cross to combine Canada’s best abuse, bullying and harassment prevention curriculum (RespectED) with Respect Group Inc.’s world-class, on-line training technology.

Sheldon Kennedy:

Sheldon Kennedy skated for three teams in his eight-year NHL career (Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins) and played for Canada’s gold-medal winning team in the 1988 World Junior Hockey Championship. He was also Captain of the Memorial Cup winning Swift Current Broncos in 1989. He is best known for his courageous decision to charge his Major Junior Hockey league coach with sexual assault for the abuse he suffered over a five year period while a teenager under his care. Sheldon’s subsequent decision to go public with the charges brought these issues to the social forefront. Sheldon has become an unofficial spokesperson for millions of abuse survivors around the world. His life story was made into an award winning television movie and he has appeared on Oprah, ABC’s Nightline, nominated as Peter Jennings’ Man of the Week, W-5 and The Fifth Estate. After retiring from the NHL, Sheldon in-line skated across Canada to raise awareness of abuse issues. In 2006, Sheldon wrote “Why I Didn’t Say Anything” a riveting account of the many psychological impacts of abuse. Sheldon’s personal experience and continued work “in the trenches” has lead to his passion to make change. Having transformed a negative situation into proactive programming he continues to carry his message through Respect Group Inc., the company he co-founded. Respect Group Inc. provides empowering on-line education for the prevention of abuse, bullying and harassment.