Landseed

Menu

Anti-Harassment and Discrimination Policy

Date Effective: December 2024

1.0 Rationale

At LandSeed, it is a firm belief that community empowerment must honour and protect the rights & dignities of all persons.

2.0 Purpose

LandSeed is committed to cultivating a strong, thriving community by providing physical and/or virtual public events as well as work spaces free from harassment and discrimination.

This policy reflects core values of crowdsourcing & collaboration and upholds pillars of fairness & respect. LandSeed aims to create environments where all attendees, including employees, collaborators, community members, and guests, feel comfortable in order to connect and contribute.

3.0 Policy

3.1 Scope and Application

This policy applies to all people in connection with LandSeed, including:

  • Employees (permanent, temporary, full-time, part-time, casual, or volunteer)
  • Directors
  • Contractors, suppliers, and vendors
  • Affiliates, collaborators, and partners
  • Community members
  • Visitors and guests
  • Anyone acting on behalf of, or participating in, LandSeed’s programs, services, and operations

This policy covers all locations and spaces under LandSeed’s direct control, including all physical & virtual spaces, as well as operational interactions.

3.2 Commitment to Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination

LandSeed prohibits and will not tolerate:

  • Harassment: a course of vexatious, unwanted, or threatening comments or conduct that a reasonable person would consider humiliating, intimidating, or hostile.
  • Discrimination: unfair treatment of a person(s) or group based on a prohibited ground under the Human Rights Code applicable human rights legislation.

3.3 Prohibited Grounds of Harassment & Discrimination

Harassment and discrimination will not be tolerated on the basis of:

3.3.1 Discrimination

Discrimination refers to unjust and/or prejudicial treatment of people and individuals on, including but not limited to, the basis of ethnicity, age, and/or disability.

Examples of Discrimination

  • Race discrimination
  • Gender discrimination
  • Age discrimination
  • Sex discrimination
  • Disability discrimination
    • Discrimination based on physical disabilities
    • Discrimination based on mental disabilities

3.3.2 Bullying

A bully can be considered to be a person(s) who seeks to intimidate, coerce, or cause harm, physical or otherwise, to another person(s) they perceive as vulnerable.

Examples of Bullying

  • Verbal abuse
  • Intimidation
  • Social exclusion
  • Sabotaging work

3.3.3 Physical Harassment

Physical harassment refers to physical conduct creating a hostile, intimidating or offensive environment, and/or interferes with persons’ ability to feel safe and work effectively.

Examples of Physical Harassment

  • Physical assault
  • Inappropriate touching or physical contact
  • Threatening physical behaviour

3.3.4 Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment refers to threatening or offensive behaviour based on sex or sexual orientation; consisting of unwelcome sexual advance and/or other verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature.

Examples of Sexual Harassment

  • Derogatory sexual comments, slurs, or jokes
  • Unwanted advances or unwelcome physical contact
  • Threatening sexual behavior
  • Request(s) for sexual favors
  • Display of explicit material
  • Explicit acts of sexual assault

3.3.5 Cyber Harassment

Cyber harassment refers to intimidating and/or threatening behaviour as through the use of electronic devices and/or technology.

Examples of Cyber Harassment

  • Online threats
  • Cyberbullying
  • Spreading false information online
  • Hacking and unauthorized access

3.3.6 Social Media Harassment

Cyber-bullying refers to intimidating and threatening behaviour as through the use of social media platforms.

Examples of Social Media Harassment

  • Posting content without consent
  • Spreading rumours online

3.3.7 Verbal Harassment

Verbal harassment refers to the use of epithets, slurs, offensive and/or derogatory language towards a person(s), creating a hostile and/or threatening environment. 

Examples of Verbal Harassment

  • Offensive language
  • Insults and name-calling

3.3.8 Religious Harassment

Religious harassment refers to intimidation through the use of epithets, slurs and/or other offensive language on the basis of religious beliefs and/or practices.

Examples of Religious Harassment

  • Offensive remarks based on religious beliefs
  • Exclusion based on religious practices

3.3.9 Ethnic Harassment

Ethnic harassment refers to intimidation through the use of epithets, slurs, and/or other offensive language on the basis of race, ethnicity and/or nationality.

Examples of Ethnic Harassment

  • Mocking cultural practices
  • Stereotyping based on ethnicity

3.3.10 Appearance-based Harassment

Appearance-based harassment refers to inappropriate probing into hygiene and/or grooming habits, and/or the use of epithets, slurs and/or other offensive language on the basis of personal appearance.

Examples of Appearance-based Harassment

  • Ridiculing someone based on their appearance
  • Negative comments about clothing or grooming

3.3.11 Marital Status Harassment

Marital status harassment refers to inappropriate probing into intimidation through the use of epithets and/or slurs on the basis or marital status.

Examples of Marital Status Harassment

  • Discrimination based on marital status
  • Inappropriate inquiries into personal relationships

3.3.12 Retaliation

Retaliation is behaving in an inappropriate, threatening, and/or violent manner in response to something harmful done or said towards you.

Examples of Retaliation

  • Misapplication of policy
  • Punishing employees for reporting harassment
  • Threatening retaliation against whistleblowers

Any other ground prohibited by the Human Rights Code and applicable human rights policy and legislation.

For more detailed information, please visit Canada Safety Training: https://www.canadasafetytraining.com/Safety_Blog/workplace-harassment-types-examples.aspx.

4.0 Culture of Accountability and Respect

Supporting a community free from harassment and discrimination starts with honouring and protecting the dignity, equality and equity, and rights of all persons.  Those involved at LandSeed, whether community or team members, visitors or directors, share a responsibility to:

  • Take action when unfair or harmful behavior occurs
  • Foster an environment of compassion and collaboration
  • Support anti-harassment and -discrimination education and awareness

5.0 Reporting Harassment or Discrimination

If you experience or witness harassment or discrimination at LandSeed:

  1. Speak up if you feel comfortable and safely able: Let the person(s) know their behavior is unwelcome and unacceptable.
  2. Report the incident promptly: All reports will be handled with discretion and due process.  The Incident Report can also be found by following the URL: [Insert Incident Report URL].
  3. Investigate promptly and thoroughly: Acquisition of all the relevant information to initiate due process take appropriate action, depending on the circumstance and/or severity of the incident, in assigning consequences.

5.1 Examples of Consequences

  • Verbal warnings
  • Mediation with a mutually agreed upon third party
  • Suspension or dismissal 

Unsure if you are experiencing harassment? Visit Canada’s Harassment Tool Guide for Employees to help determine next steps:

https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/wellness-inclusion-diversity-public-service/harassment-violence/harassment-tool-employees.html.

6.0 Review and Communication

This policy will be regularly reviewed and updated to reflect contemporary legislative policy and/or procedural changes.  LandSeed will communicate this policy to all stakeholders and make it available on our website at https://landseed.ca/.

7.0 Contact

If you have questions, comments, or concerns about this policy or wish to make a report, please contact:info@landseed.ca 

8.0 Glossary of terms

Abuse: inflict cruelty onto another person(s); have a bad or harmful effect on another person(s)

Accountability: taking responsibility for one’s own behaviour(s)

Age: the length of time a person(s) has existed

Assault: a physical attack on another person(s)

Bully or bullying: person(s) seeking to cause or harm to other person(s)

Consequences: ramifications to actions or outcomes

Culture: a collection of beliefs or practices inherited from family and/or domestic and/or foreign society(ies)

Cultural: expression of a culture’s ideologies, beliefs, and/or practices

Cyber: relating to the use of electronic media and devices

Disability: abilities that violate perceived societal norms

Discrimination: unjust or prejudice behaviour towards other person(s)

Due process: fair and just treatment

Emotional harm: emotional distress of a person(s) caused by another person(s)

Ethnicity: quality of belonging to a distinct group or subgroup of person(s) who share common ancestry or cultural backgrounds

Gender: identity that does not correspond with biological imperatives

Harassment: inappropriate, intimidating, threatening, and/or violent behaviour towards another person(s)

Harm or harmful: damage and/or injury

Intimidation: threatening behaviour with the intent to coerce person{s) perceived to be vulnerable

Initiative: opportunity to act

Intent: purpose behind actions or words

Impact: effect or influence of actions or words on a person(s) 

Marital status: personal relationship status(es) of a person(s)

Mental: refers to operations of the brain and/or mind

Physical: refers to the body and/or tangible, concrete objects

Race: socio-cultural theories of groupings of which humankind can be divided based upon shared ancestry or physical characteristics

Respect: a shared sense and recognition of humanity and dignity

Religion: a collection of ideologies, beliefs, and/or practices which may or may not be cultural

Religious: describes person(s) who adhere to and/or express a religion’s ideologies, beliefs, and/or practices which may or may not be cultural

Sex: dichotomous grouping of a person(s) on the basis on biological reproductive function(s) 

Sexual: intimate attraction and/or connection between a person(s)

Stereotyping: prejudicial treatment of another person(s) based upon physical or social characteristics

Threat or threatening: hostile actions and/or intention to inflict harm onto another person(s)

Verbal: relating to the use of words

Violent or violence: using or involving force intended to inflict arm, hurt, or damage