Anti-bullying and harassment policy statement

The Prince George Farmers Market and its board is committed to having a respectful work site.  The PG Farmers Market is not an employer of vendors and therefore will only address vendor issues that are related to the direct operations at the work site during market hours.

  1.           Marketplace conduct

Bullying and harassment is not acceptable or tolerated in this Marketplace. All persons must be treated in a fair and respectful manner.

  1.           Bullying and harassment

(a)              includes any inappropriate conduct or comment by a member towards another person that is known or reasonably ought to be known would cause that person to be humiliated or intimidated, but

(b)          excludes any reasonable action taken relating to the management and direction of vendors or their booth.

Examples of conduct or comments that may constitute bullying and harassment include verbal aggression or insults, calling someone derogatory names, harmful hazing or initiation practices, vandalizing personal belongings, and spreading malicious rumours. 

Examples of conduct or comments that are not considered to be bullying and/or harassment:  conduct carried out to run the market site, conduct that is in accordance with the rules of the market, conduct by vendors outside of the market site and its posted hours of operation.

  1.           Members must:
  •           not engage in the bullying and harassment of other persons
  •           report if bullying and harassment is observed or experienced
  •           apply and comply with the PGFMA’S policies and procedures on bullying and harassment
  1.           Application

This policy statement applies to all members, their employees and PG Farmers Market employees, including permanent, temporary, casual, contract, and student workers. It applies to contact for the purposes of vending during market site hours of operation.  If vendors choose to interact with each other outside of the market site and its hours of operation, those communications will fall outside of this policy statement.

  1.           Reports of Policy Statement Contravention:

Member/employee responsibility:

Report in writing any incident that you feel contravenes this policy statement.

Submit report to Kathy Leeman, Director, Human Resources or Martin Krell, President within 2 weeks of the alleged incident.

  •   Incident details must include to the best of your ability:

  date and time of incident

  location of incident

  purpose of the interaction (if applicable)

  names of any witnesses who may have witnessed the incident

  must be signed and dated

Board responsibility: 

  •   Investigation process will start within 2 weeks of the receipt of the report.
  •   Board designate will talk to all who are identified as involved in the incident or who may have witnessed the incident
  •   If the allegation includes a board member, the board member will be removed from all board discussion of the matter.
  •   All investigations will include written notes.
  •   Board designate will make recommendations to the board on corrective actions and any support that may be required by the target and/or witnesses within 14 days of the investigation completion.
  •   The Board will review the recommendations and will make a decision to be communicated within 14 days.
  •   All submissions will be kept confidential at the Board level.  The Market Manager will not be involved in these investigations, unless they have information that may be relevant to the allegation.

All vendors will go through an orientation to this policy statement and will be asked to sign below before being permitted to vend at the PG Farmers Market.  Vendors who refuse to attend an orientation and/or sign this statement will not be permitted to vend at the PG Farmers Market until they have done so.