Club 1361 District 5550 The Rotary Club of Winnipeg
Harassment Policy and Procedures
Approval Date February 21, 2005
DEFINITIONS
Club means Club 1361, the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
Board means the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
Complaint means an allegation of harassment within the framework of this
policy.
Complaint Procedure means a complaint that had been referred to the complaint
resolution protocol as contained within this policy.
District Governor means the District Governor of Rotary District 5550.
Legislation means Acts duly passed by the Parliament of Canada and/or the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba.
President means the duly elected President of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
Rotarian means a Member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg.
Rotary means Rotary International
Rotary activity means activity approved by the Board of Directors.
Rotary volunteer means a non-member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, who
volunteers to be involved in Rotary activity,
Preamble
Whereas the volunteer work Rotarians do with young people, the elderly and
people with disabilities, is vital to the quality of life in our community and to the good
reputation of Rotary and Rotarians. Rotary clubs do everything possible to protect the
interests of everyone involved in our clubs, in our projects and in our events. Any
incident of harassment by member(s) of a Rotary club in the context of Rotary activity
has the potential to cause serious damage to individuals and that reputation. To that end,
therefore;
We, the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, member Rotarians, and Rotary volunteers, are
responsible for protecting the safety and security of everyone we encounter in the
provision of service to our community. We have a special obligation to individuals with
greater vulnerability due to age, physical or other limitations.
Rotarians are obliged to intervene if we become aware of information about the
harassment of a person through his/her involvement with a Rotary Club activity even
when harassment disclosed may have occurred in the school or other non-Rotary
environment.
Rotarians are obliged to prevent the bullying of a person by other persons
whenever it is observed or disclosed.
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Rotarians should discourage disparaging comment or behaviour targeted at
gender, age, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, religion, occupation, physical or
emotional condition, family status, or sexual orientation.
Rotarians are obliged to take appropriate action when they observe other
Rotarians or volunteers behave in ways that conflict with the values embraced by our
Club and District policies
Rotarians are obliged under legislation to report sexual abuse of children to the
police.
Definition of Harassment
Harassment is any conduct by an individual that is directed at, and offensive to,
another person or persons and which the individual knew, or ought reasonably to know,
would cause offence or harm. It comprises:
 Any objectionable act, comment or display that belittles, demeans or causes
personal humiliation or embarrassment or any act of intimidation or threat.
Conduct involving the proper exercise of responsibilities or authority related to
the provision of advice, counsel, discipline and other supervisory/leadership
functions does not constitute harassment.
Harassment may include, but is not limited to:
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Suggestive or other unwelcome remarks including sexual remarks, jokes,
innuendos, gestures about a person’s body or sexual activity
Demeaning remarks, jokes, and innuendos about race, religion, age, national
origin, marital status, color, handicap, or gender.
Inappropriate touching, patting, leering or pinching.
Use of written material of racist, derogatory, offensive, or pornographic nature.
Demands accompanied by implied or overt threats concerning one’s membership
or participation in any activity in Rotary.
Minors and vulnerable persons
Harassment may involve sexual abuse under the various legislative Acts that
guarantee the welfare of children involved in activities sponsored by the Rotary Club of
Winnipeg. Any behaviour described above, if directed against a young or vulnerable
person, will be considered as harassment and will be acted upon in accordance with the
policy described herein. Sexual abuse of minors is required by legislation to be reported
to the Police.
Policy
 Rotarians, Exchange Students and any other persons associated with Rotary, have
the right to be free of harassment under the Human Rights Acts of Canada and of
the Province of Manitoba.
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
Every Rotarian in Club 1361 has the obligation, when aware of harassment, to
report all such situations to an appropriate person in authority in Club 1361 and,
in the case of criminal harassment, to the Police authorities.

Rotarians shall make every effort to ensure that no person associated with Rotary
is subjected to harassment of any kind.
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All persons eighteen years of age or older in a home hosting a Rotary Exchange
Student are required to have a “Criminal Record Check” obtained from the local
Police Service which must be kept on file.
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All persons eighteen years of age or older in a home hosting a Rotary Exchange
Student are required to have a Child Abuse Registry check confirming that none
of the residents in the home are listed on the Child Abuse Registry. This record
check confirmation must be kept on file.
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Physical assault, battery, and threats including, but not limited to, threats of
assault, sexual impropriety, or sexual favours, with respect to minors, are criminal
offenses. These must be reported to the Police.
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Club 1361 shall take appropriate administrative or disciplinary action against any
Rotarian or person under Club authority who is the subject of a founded
harassment complaint.
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Complaints of harassment shall be brought to the attention of the Club President,
unless the President is the Respondent, in which case the complaint shall be
brought to the attention of the District Governor.
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The President shall not disclose the name of the Complainant or the circumstances
of the complaint to anyone other than the Respondent, when the complaint is
received, unless disclosure is an issue for the purposes of investigation or
resolution of the complaint.
Rights and Responsibilities
Complainant
Rights: The Complainant has the right, under the principle of natural justice:
 To be treated fairly;
 To submit a complaint and have it reviewed in a prompt, sensitive manner,
without fear of embarrassment or reprisal;
 To be given due counseling and provided with needed assistance;
 To obtain information about the review of the complaint, subject to the
Privacy Act
 To be informed about any corrective, disciplinary or administrative
measures implemented as the result of a founded complaint.
 To appeal the decision aimed to resolve the complaint.
 Where possible and appropriate, to request that the perceived respondent
cease the offending behaviour.
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Responsibilities: The Complainant also has the responsibility,
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 To clearly state the allegations of the complaint, providing sufficient detail
to facilitate assessment and resolution and to do so in writing if requested
 To participate in a co-operative manner in the resolution process
 To use discretion in discussing the complaint with others.
Respondent
Rights: The Respondent has the right, under the principle of natural justice:
 To be treated fairly
 To be notified promptly that a complaint has been made against them
 To be informed of the allegations. In the case of a formal complaint, the
details will be provided in writing
 To respond to the allegations
 To be given due counseling and provided with needed assistance.
 To obtain information about the complaint, subject to the Privacy Act
 That documentation related to the complaint shall be sealed if the
complaint is not founded or after the matter has been dealt with,
 To appeal the decision aimed to resolve the complaint.
Responsibilities: The Respondent has the responsibility:
 To cease immediately any behaviour subject of a complaint when
requested to do so
 To promptly and clearly respond to allegations of a complaint, providing
sufficient detail to facilitate assessment and resolution, and to do so in
writing if requested
 To participate in a co-operative manner in the resolution process
 To use discretion in discussing the complaint with others.
CLUB 1361 PROTOCAL FOR DEAILING WITH INCIDENTS OF
ALLEGED HARASSMENT
Procedure
1. The Club President, with the approval of
the Board, shall appoint a male and female
qualified persons as Co-Harassment
Officers, for a one-year renewable term
beginning with the appointment of the first
Harassment Officers, to investigate any
complaint of harassment.
Points of Emphasis
The Club President or designate should not
investigate the incident as he/she will have to
make the final decisions about the outcome.
2. If the Respondent is the Club President, the
matter shall be turned over to District 5550
Governor
The allegation may prove unfounded but the
Complainant must be reasonably sure that the
investigation has been unbiased.
3. The Harassment Officer(s) shall meet with
the Complainant and obtain as much
It is critical that all investigations are
conducted in accordance with the Rules of
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information as possible before meeting
with the Respondent. Care shall be taken
to be supportive of the Complainant
without showing any bias.
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Natural Justice. The complainant should have
his/her rights and responsibilities explained.
The Complainant should put his/her statement
in writing or sign the Harassment Officer(s)
notes on completion. Ensure dates, times and
names are accurate.
4. The Harassment Officer(s) shall meet with
the Respondent, disclosing the particulars
of the complaint and receive a statement
from the Respondent. Care should be taken
to avoid characterizing the Respondent as
guilty at this point.
It is critical to meet in a private area away from
others. The Respondent should have his/her
rights and responsibilities explained. The
Respondent should put his/her statement in
writing or sign the Harassment Officer(s) notes
on completion. Ensure dates, times and names
are accurate.
5. The Harassment Officer(s)and other
District and Club Officials shall be mindful
of the rights and responsibilities of the
Complainant and the Respondent.
Until shown otherwise, a ‘complaint’ is an
‘allegation’. Neither person involved should be
characterized as the ‘victim’ or the ‘harasser’.
The activity or behaviour that gave rise to the
complaint should be referred to as the
‘allegation(s)’ until proven otherwise.
6. The Harassment Officer(s)shall meet with
all witnesses named by the Complainant
and Respondent and with any others who
appear to be involved in the complaint.
Make sure all witnesses are interviewed,
including those named by the Complainant and
Respondent and any others that may appear to
have knowledge about the incident or
behaviour in question. The investigation
should be fair, comprehensive and
documented.
7. If at any time it appears that the behaviour
complained about is of an indictable nature,
or may involve child abuse, the appropriate
law authority shall be advised immediately
by the Harassment Officer(s).
It is important to involve the Police or Family
Services early in the process so as to avoid the
loss of evidence and comply with the
Legislation. Rotary should never be seen as
impeding justice in any way.
8. Once the Harassment Officer(s) has
completed the investigation, the findings
(with the statements of unidentified
witnesses) shall be delivered to the
Complainant and the Respondent who shall
be given seven days to respond in writing.
The Complainant and the Respondent have a
right to review the findings prior to any
decision being made by those in authority.
9. On receipt of the responses (if any) the
Harassment Officer(s) shall deliver
his/her/their finding to a Panel (normally
consisting of two or more past Presidents)
selected by the Club President or designate,
which provide the options for resolutions to
the conflict.
1. An apology, verbal or written.
The Harassment Officer(s) shall make a full
disclosure of his/her/their findings to the Panel
and provide any details needed to formulate a
resolution process. There must be consistent
procedures in place, which facilitate and
expedite complaint and its resolution.
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2. Face to face mediation.
3. Formal hearing by a panel to consist of
President, one Rotarian chosen by the
complainant and one Rotarian chosen
by the Respondent.
10. The Club President or designate shall
ensure the resolution process is
implemented in a timely and sensitive
manner.
There are many possible outcomes:
o The allegation is unfounded
o Dismissal from Rotary
o Sending a student home
o Legal action
11. The Complainant and/or the Respondent
shall be informed in writing of the decision
made by the Panel. The Complainant
and/or the Respondent shall have the right
to appeal the decision of the Panel to the
District Governor by responding in writing
within seven days.
At any point in the process any one of the
participants may seek the advice of legal
counsel. The cost of legal advice for the Panel
and that of any minor involved in the
proceedings shall be borne by the Club.
Remember:
Investigate thoroughly. Take your time. Educate yourself in the Principles of Natural
Justice. Do not form opinions or jump to conclusions until the investigation is complete
and the documentation is reviewed. There are times when allegations of harassment
cannot be proved. Keep an open mind.
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