Day One: Tuesday, November 15, 2022
10:00 EST
15 minWelcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
10:15 EST
60 minProvincial and Federal Legal Frameworks for Discrimination, Harassment and Violence Prevention & Response
- Varying definitions, interpretations and understanding of the challenge
- Human Rights law: A Cross-Canada perspective
- The growing importance of OHS legislation & regulations
- Privacy expectations and “laws” and respect in the workplace
- Don’t forget the Criminal Code in your compliance program
- New Federal Harassment & Violence Prevention Regulation
- Internal versus external investigators – cost considerations
- Legal requirement for a workplace H&V hazard assessment
- New mandatory elements of an employer’s H&V policy and training
- Intake of complaints and protection of privacy & dignity
- New requirements for investigators and investigations
- Resolution options, preserving evidence and litigation
- Changing union approach to negotiating settlements
- Providing support to employees affected by harassment and violence
11:15 EST
60 minMad or Bad? Mental Health, When Do We Accommodate? When Do We Discipline or Terminate?
Glenn French, President and CEO, The Canadian Initiative on Workplace Violence
- The evolving definition of workplace violence
- The relationship between mental health and workplace violence
- Investigating potential threats
- The importance of employee “Perceived Personal Control”
- Determining when a comprehensive threat assessment is required
- Accommodating employees who have threatened violence
12:15 EST
60 minBreak
13:15 EST
45 minProtecting Employees and Responding to Cyber Bullying
Catherine Lafontaine, Director, Talents and Culture, Employee Relations, Ubisoft
- Definition of cyberbullying
- The evolving legal landscape
- Caselaw and employer liability
- Protecting employees from and responding to cyber bullying
- Prevalence of workplace cyber bullying
- Relevant statutes and regs
- Employer liability
- How employers defend
- Required policies
- Enforcement of policies
14:00 EST
60 minBystander Intervention: The First Line of Defense Against Harassment
Empower employees to be the first line of defence against harassment, bullying and violence in the workplace. How we respond to these situations sets the tone for what we will tolerate and deem as acceptable behaviour.
- The ‘Who’
- Definition of a Bystander
- Definition of Bystander Intervention
- Stigma Hesitation
- Reasons People Don’t Act
- The ‘Bystander Effect’
- Definition of the Bystander Effect
- Three Factors Influencing the Bystander Effect
- The Five ‘Ds’ of Bystander Intervention
- Harassment in the Workplace and Bystander Intervention
15:00 EST
15 minBreak
15:15 EST
45 minManaging Violence Risk in the Context of Investigations and the Challenge of Parallel Investigations
Stephen Hart, Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc.
- Overview of professional responsibility to identify and respond to violence risk
- Definition of violence, violence risk assessment and violence risk management
- Examination of the challenge of parallel investigations triggered when violence occurs
- Discussion of four key principles for navigating the challenge of parallel investigations
- Suggested response and hierarchy for responding to violent incidents
16:00 EST
45 minDiversity, Equity and Inclusion Considerations in Discrimination and Harassment: Legal, Practical, Corporate Risk and Societal Perspectives
Courtney Betty, Lawyer, Speaker, and Diversity Strategist, Betty’s Law Office
Diversity and Equity are now a major focus for all organizations. Employees are now using legal remedies to address racism, discrimination, and harassment. Companies are now subject to human rights claims, class actions, or the use of social media to damage the reputation of a corporate brand, sometimes beyond repair. This presentation includes:
- Reviewing your organizational policies, practices and procedures to see if they create situations in your organization that might be considered discriminatory, harassing or bullying before they create legal damage
- Helping corporations identify diversity policies, practices or initiatives that might be considered as discriminatory, harassing or bullying
- Can or should microaggressions be considered harassment, bullying or discrimination?
16:45 EST
End of Day One
Day Two: Wednesday, November 16, 2022
10:00 EST
15 minWelcome and Opening Remarks from the Chair
10:15 EST
75 minEstablishing and Operating Threat Assessment Teams
Kelly A. Watt, Protect International Risk and Safety Services Inc.
- Overview of requirements, standards, and guidelines
- Examination of identified needs of threat assessment teams
- Discussion of major tensions faced by threat assessment teams
- Summary of goals, structures, process and outcomes of threat assessment teams
- Discussion of relevant case examples
11:30 EST
15 minBreak
11:45 EST
45 minTrauma Informed and Remote Investigation
Katharine Montpetit, Team Lead, Workplace Investigations, Rubin Thomlinson LLP
- Understanding trauma
- Definition of trauma informed approach to investigations
- Where is trauma informed investigation appropriate
- Considerations in selecting an investigator
- What employers need to know
12:30 EST
60 minBreak
13:30 EST
45 minEmployer Obligation to Prevent Domestic Violence and Harassment: Tools and Training
- How Western University helps employers address domestic violence in the workplace
- The requirement that federally regulated workplaces prevent domestic violence and harassment and support workers affected by domestic violence
- Best practices for provincially regulated workers?
- Recognition that abuse does not always stay at home, but also comes to work
- Requirement to assess risks of domestic abuse for workers and have policies that specify action to address them
- The need to discuss domestic violence with confidence
- Responding to disclosure
- Assessing your culture, leadership support, workplace policies and collective agreements
14:15 EST
45 minConfidentiality: Who Has the Right to See What?
Elizabeth Bingham, Team Lead, Workplace Investigations, Rubin Thomlinson LLP
The Report is written. Labour and executive want to see it.
- What confidentiality rules apply?
- How can you manage expectations around confidentiality throughout the process?
- What do these parties need to know?
- How do you craft effective report summaries?
- Confidentiality issues when dealing with internal versus external investigators
15:00 EST
15 minBreak
15:15 EST
45 minHow Union and Management Can Work Together to Prevent, Manage and Resolve Complaints
16:00 EST
45 minObservations, Trends and the Future of Work
Senior HR professionals will share their observations on key themes and trends in preventing discrimination, harassment, bullying and violence and creating a fair, just and diverse workforce. You will leave inspired and ready to implement new ideas and strategies to achieve your goals in the year ahead.
16:45 EST
End of Day Two