Sexual Violence Policy Development Consultation

Thank you for participating in Commercial Truck Training Centre’s consultation on our draft Sexual Violence Policy. We aim to reach members of the school community including students and staff.

We thank you for setting aside the time to be part of a process to develop a fair and transparent policy that supports survivors of violence and prevents and responds to sexual violence in our school community. We recognize that discussions around the sexual violence policy can trigger trauma for survivors or be an uncomfortable topic. There is no requirement for participation. We have alternate ways for seeking input that might be more accommodating. Please let us know if you would like further accommodation.

 You can provide your confidential questionnaire by April 10, 2021:

• In person: Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc., Unit 101, 1021 Court Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
• By phone: 204-902-0010
• By email: info@cttc.ca
• By postal mail: Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc., Unit 101, 1021 Court Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2P 1V7

All information gathered here is confidential, does not require any personal identification, and we will report only on the feedback itself.

We encourage all constructive feedback and appreciate your participation.

Sexual Violence Policy Consultation Questionnaire

1. Do you currently feel safe at Commercial Truck Training Centre? (common areas-lunch room, bathrooms)?
2. What changes would you suggest for making you feel safer?
3. What terms or definitions provided under the “Definitions” section need to be clarified or what terms/definitions are missing?
4. Is the complaints procedure clear? Is there anything you did not understand? What would help to make this complaints procedure clearer?
5. Are there community resources/supports that are missing and should be included?
6. What would be the best way to share our Sexual Violence Policy with our school community?
7. Please provide any other feedback.

Sexual Violence Prevention Policy and Response Protocol

Last revised: March 2021

Manitoba requires all post secondary institutions play an active role in and as defined under The Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Act. This Act identifies institutions’’ roles and responsibilities under two pillars. i) raising
awareness and ii) a responsibility to respond via policies and procedures should a student come forward.

This information is being provided to all members of Commercial Truck Training Centre’s community (instructors/administrators/officers/ directors/students – active and potential) as an element of our efforts to increase
awareness and fulfill our obligations under the Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention Act.

All members of the Commercial Truck Training Centre’s community have a right to study and work in an environment free of sexual violence and sexual harassment. This section outlines the school’s awareness activities and response procedures for disclosures of incidents of sexual violence or harassment.

Policy Statement
Sexual violence is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The school is committed to providing a work and learning environment that is free from sexual violence and sexual harassment. Commercial Truck Training Centre acknowledges
and will take action under the following principles and is applicable to everyone who owns, works or studies at the school:

• Survivors will be believed and respected as the final decision-makers as to what is in their own best interest

• Individuals who have committed an act of sexual violence will be held accountable by the school and face disciplinary action up to and including expulsion

• That the school will make every effort to respect confidentiality and anonymity

• That there is a formal procedure for responding to incidents of sexual violence

• The school will engage in public education and prevention activities

Definitions

It is important that our school community is provided with accurate and relevant information and some terminology used within the context of sexual violence and harassment.

• Consent
  • Consent is central to sexual assault. The Criminal Code of Canada defines consent as it relates to sexual assault as the voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity. An individual must actively and willingly give consent to sexual activity. Sexual activity without consent is sexual assault.

  • Young people, like many others, often do not fully understand consent and can feel that the line between consensual sexual acts and sexual assault can be unclear. This is particularly true when an acquaintance, friend or partner is the perpetrator.

  • Consenting to once kind, or instance of sexual activity does not meant hat consent is given to any other sexual activity or instance. No one consents to being sexually assaulted.

  • Where consent does not exist (lack of agreement): a person can express a lack of agreement verbally or through conduct (such as physically resisting advances). The Criminal Code makes it clear that the person can, after initially giving consent to engage in sex, revoke consent at any time by expressing a lack of agreement to continue engaging in sexual activity.

  • • Is never assumed or implied

    • Is not silence or the absence of “no”

    • Cannot be given if the victim is impaired by alcohol or drugs, or is unconscious

    • Can never be obtained through threats or coercion

    • Can be revoked at any time

    • Cannot be obtained if the perpetrator abuses a position of trust, power or authority
      

      In other words, consent:

  • For more information on consent please refer to: (http://www.gov.mb.ca/youarnotalone/consent.html)

• LGBT2SQ+

  • Includes people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two-Spirit, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual and/or gender fluid.
• Disclosure and Reporting
  • A disclosure is different than a report. A disclosure is when you share your story with anyone who you feel comfortable with. This can include friends, family, co-workers, a trusted instructor, counsellor, chaplain, doctor or others you choose to share your story with.
  • A report refers to an official report to the school and/or a more formal process made to law enforcement.

Sexual Violence Response Protocol

It is understood that the sensitive nature of sexual harassment may require different actions by the school in its supportive role. A member of the school community who feels they have been exposed to these actions needs to feel heard in a safe and supportive manner.

Statement of Survivor’s Rights

Survivors have the right to:

• • Be believed
  • Be treated with sensitivity and compassion
  • Be treated with dignity and respect
  • Be informed about on- and off-campus services and resources
  • Decide whether or not to access available services and to choose those services they feel will be most beneficial
  • Decide whether to report to local police
  • Have a safety plan, and to have reasonable and necessary actions taken to prevent further unwanted contact with the alleged perpetrator(s)

In keeping with the Statement of Survivor’s Rights, the school offers the following options for disclosure/reporting:

1. No report – the victim/survivor discloses sexual violence to seek emotional support, medical support or advocacy but not report to police. 

The school will provide a supportive role, listen and share with the student with what resources may be available to them.

2. Report – launch a complaint if she/she has been sexually harassed by a member of the school community.

She/he may confront the harasser personally or in writing pointing out the unwelcome behaviour and request that it stop

OR

the victim/survivor may wish to report a complaint to the school in writing.

The school will provide a supportive role by providing contact information and assisting with the initial communications to the appropriate individuals/authority/service.

3. Police Report/Medical attention – the victim/survivor wishes to make a complaint with the local police department or seek medical assistance.

The school will provide a supportive role by providing contact information and assisting with the initial communications to the appropriate authority/service.

4. Anonymous and third-party reporting

• • To police/external bodies – The Winnipeg Police Service, in partnership with community organizations, offers an option for anonymous third party reporting. Third party reporting allows a survivor to report an assault to a community organization, which will pass the report on to Winnipeg Police or the RCMP. After information is passed to police, if the police want to speak with the survivor they will contact the community organization first, who will then contact the survivor, allowing them to decide whether or not they want to speak to the police.
  • Community organizations who offer anonymous third party reporting include Klinic Community Health Centre, Ka Ni Kanichihk Heart Medicine Lodge, and Sage House (Mount Carmel Clinic)

The school will provide a supportive role by providing contact information and assisting with the initial communications to the appropriate authority/service.

Confidentiality

At Commercial Truck Training Centre, we understand that keeping information confidential is important and may be a deciding factor in whether or not a person chooses to disclose. We respect our community member’s experiences and
desire for autonomy. Supports and resources are available regardless of whether or not someone chooses to formally report an incident.

Commercial Truck Training Centre will make every effort to respect confidentiality and ask for consent before acting on information that is provided to us. However, there are times when complete confidentiality cannot be assured. These may include:

• When we believe that a person is a danger to themselves or to others;
• When a person involved is a minor (under 18 years old) or is a vulnerable person; and
• When there is reason to believe that the safety of the Commercial Truck Training Centre community is at risk.

If one of these situations occurs, the school must alert the appropriate authorities. This may include disclosing information to facilitate an investigation, offering coordinated support, ensuring safety planning or taking corrective action.

Disciplinary Measures

If it is determined that a school community member has been involved in sexual violence or harassment of another school community member, immediate disciplinary or corrective action will be taken. This includes termination of employment or expulsion of a student.

Reprisal

It is a violation of this policy to retaliate or threaten to retaliate against a complainant, who has brought forward a complaint of sexual violence or sexual harassment, provided information related to a complaint inquiry or otherwise been involved with a complaint inquiry.

Training/Awareness, Responding and Reporting

Training/Awareness

• • Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc. will include a copy of the Sexual Violence Policy in every contract made between the school and its students, and staffing/contractors/employees.
  • All staff/contractors/employees will be provided an initial orientation to the Policy with a refresher conducted every two years. The session will include information on the Policy, how to respond, and understanding roles and responsibilities. Subject matter experts from external agencies may be engaged in this delivery.
  • Students will also be involved and made aware of the Policy through the inclusion of the Policy into the school student handbook/guide as well as during the school orientation session at the start of every program.
  • To raise awareness of sexual violence for the general public, potential students, customers, employees/contractors, the Policy will be posted on the school’s webpage and any social media platforms (facebook, twitter, etc).

Under this Sexual Violence Policy, any member of the school community may make a complaint in the following ways to “the Manager”:

• • In person: at Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc., Unit 101, 1021 Court Avenue, Winnipeg, MB
  • By phone: 204-902-0010
  • By email: info@cttc.ca
  • By postal mail: Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc., Unit 101, 1021 Court Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R2P 1V7

It is recognized at Commercial Truck Training Centre Inc. that some populations are more vulnerable to sexual violence than others and will make attempts to accommodate those individuals to the greatest extent possible. (e.g. making a female available to hear a complaint, recognizing that women are far more likely to be a victim of sexual violence). These populations include but are not limited to Indigenous women, newcomer women and men from ethnocultural communities, individuals within the LGBT2SQ+ community, and international students.

Reporting

The school will create awareness and make the student body and public aware of its compliance with this policy through the following communication actions/activities:

• • • Listing personnel responsible for conducting inquiries of any complaints including contact information posted on display within a public area of the school, within the school’s handbook and will also be included on the school website: https://www.cttc.ca/
    • Identifying the training dates of orientation and refresh sessions of the Policy for staff of the school including the number of participants on display within a public area of the school and included on the school website https://www.cttc.ca/
    • Dates of student “day one” orientation where the policy is communicated and include the number of participants at each session on display within a public area of the school.

For more information on Commercial Truck Training Centre’s policy and procedures for promoting awareness and prevention on sexual violence please contact:

Hirdeyjit Singh, Commercial Truck Training Centre Phone: 204-902-0010

It is acknowledged that information for the development of this Sexual Violence Prevention Policy and Response Protocol was provided through various resources.

The Policy development sought student feedback and insight through a questionnaire. Future commitments will include a Policy review conducted every four (4) years or when legislation changes that considers lessons learned, best practices
and will consider a diverse representation of staff/students/administration and may include external subject matter experts in its change design/development.

Additional information on this subject aligned with local community service supports, cultural services, health services, crisis services and legal services and can be found at the following links:

• https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/docs/sexual_violence/guide.pdf
• https://www.gov.mb.ca/youarenotalone/index.html
• https://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/crown/victims/sexualassault.html
• http://klinic.mb.ca/sexual-assault-awareness/
• https://crcvc.ca/
• https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/labour-standards/reports/sexual-harassment.html
• http://umanitoba.ca/student-supports/sexual-violence-support-and-education/sexual-violence-tell-someone

Facilities

Lunchroom

• • A lunchroom for staff and students is available for use. All members of the Commercial Truck Training Centre community are responsible to keep this common area clean.

Parking

• • Space is available on nearby streets at no charge.