A former Manitoba hockey coach who admitted seducing and sexually assaulting a teenage player on her team is expected to begin serving her sentence in May, and a hearing Thursday to sentence her was originally scheduled but was postponed due to health concerns.
Madison Biluk, 31, was charged with abuse in 2023, with the court hearing the abuse took place between October 2019 and February 2021 when she groomed and sexually exploited a player on the team. She pleaded guilty in 2024.
The court previously heard that Biluk was aged between 24 and 26 at the time of the offence, while the player was 15 to 16. The players’ identities are protected by a court-ordered publication ban.
Defense attorneys and prosecutors in the case jointly recommended a six-year sentence in January. The judge’s sentencing decision will be made after Biluk completes scheduled surgery.
Although the surgery took place in February, defense attorney Saul Simmonds asked Thursday for a six-week adjournment to give Biluk some time to complete post-operative recovery and obtain a medical diagnosis of celiac disease so she can receive appropriate food in jail.
Crown attorney Larissa Campbell opposed the request, saying the case had taken too long to reach sentencing and prosecutors had previously agreed to delay the trial to allow Biluk to undergo surgery.
“Justice must be served. If the proceedings are repeatedly delayed, it affects justice for the victims and it affects the public’s perception of justice,” Campbell said, adding that many prisoners with poor health conditions were detained and prisons had an obligation to ensure their health and safety.
“At best, it’s an attempt to prevent the inevitable conclusion.”
Defense attorney Symonds denied that, saying Biluk sat in court with his family and had a brace on his arm, making it difficult to put his hands behind his back or handcuff him.
“We are not in any way asking the court to reconsider this decision,” Symonds said. “We are not going to delay justice. From our perspective, justice has been done here.”
Manitoba Provincial Court Judge Jerilee Ryle said she “noted that justice delayed is justice denied” but granted the request for a six-week adjournment, noting that the guilty plea had been made and making a sentencing opinion based on joint recommendations.
“This is not a delay in her plea or a request for the full 12 weeks of rehabilitation,” Ryle said.
Victim describes ‘severe’ impact on life
The court heard Biluk’s relationship with the player began by driving her to training and taking her skating but later involved late-night phone calls and private messages on Snapchat that included explicit photos and personal discussions about sex and relationships.
The court previously heard that Biluk at one point told the player they should not pursue a relationship because she was her coach, but her behavior quickly escalated and she soon took intimate nude videos and photos of the girl and sexually kissed and touched the player.
In a victim impact statement read out before the court, the player said what happened had a “severe” emotional impact on her life, causing her low self-worth, ongoing distrust, depression and anxiety, causing her to lose her job and weakening her relationships with others. The court heard the girl had twice attempted suicide.
When given the opportunity to address the court, Biluk had previously apologized to the player and everyone affected by her actions for the harm she had caused.
The court previously heard that Biluk is no longer coaching and remains on conditional bail.
Prosecutors previously said she served as a hockey coach from 2019 to 2023, during which time she repeatedly raised concerns among the coaching staff, who said her behavior went beyond a professional coach-player relationship. These concerns resulted in multiple warnings but did not curb her behavior.
Biluk went on to coach in Alberta and Manitoba after her encounter with the players involved in the criminal proceedings ended, and her actions again raised concerns about inappropriate boundaries with players.
The court heard that while her conduct was investigated in both provinces, no further charges were laid.
