A survey for people working in Canada's remote and isolated workplaces.

The Northern Society for Domestic Peace (NSDP) is a non-profit organization based in Smithers, Hazelton and Houston B.C. The Society has been providing violence prevention, education, housing and counselling services to our communities for over 30 years. For over five years NSDP has run a program called Camp Assault Mitigation Project (CAMP). The CAMP program delivers workplace sexual harassment and sexual assault education and conversation to remote-based work camps around BC and across Canada. Originally serving the reforestation sector and tree planting camps, the CAMP team launched a survey of tree planters to gain better insights into how sexual violence was occurring in their camps. The insights and experiences shared in that survey significantly shaped how NSDP tailored services and supports for companies and workers. As the program grows, CAMP’s education and outreach is being requested by a variety of geographically isolated workplaces and gathering the insights of workers in other remote industries has become crucial. The thoughts, experiences, and ideas for change from the people on the ground are very valuable to how anti-violence organizations shape education and conversation. What resources do workplaces need? What changes will translate into real safety improvements? What works and what doesn’t in these unique environments? What makes remote workers feel safe, included, and connected in their workplaces?

This survey is for any and all workers in remote workplaces or camps. Whether you have personally experienced workplace sexual harassment or assault or not, your responses and participation are equally important. We hope to hear from as many workers across Canada as we can, including all levels of management.

This survey is completely anonymous. Please do not identify yourself or others, or specific companies. The responses and data collected in this survey may be used in various formats to facilitate ongoing conversation and safety strategies with industry, government, and other social service providers.

Please be aware that some of the questions and topics in this survey may be triggering. Please take care of yourself and if you need additional support, please reach out to us at 250-847-9000.

Unfortunately, this survey can only be completed in a single session. Responding to this survey should take anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on how much detail you want to provide. If you or someone you know would like to participate in this survey but have accessibility issues, please contact us to arrange someone to take them through it.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences with us. We will continue to provide updates on how this project is evolving and how your input is being heard.

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* 1. What is your age?

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* 2. What gender do you identify as?

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* 3. What industry do/did you work for?

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* 4. What was/is your role(s)/postion(s) in the industry?

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* 5. How many years/seasons have you/did you work in the industry? (if your workplace runs year-round, how many years? If your workplace runs seasonally, how many seasons?)

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* 6. What years have/did you work in the industry? (Ex: 2016, 2017, 2018)

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* 7. What provinces have you worked in with this industry?

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* 8. What kind of housing do you use in the industry?

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* 9. How many times have you WITNESSED/HEARD OF sexual harassment in the industry?

Sexual Harassment: Any conduct, comment, gesture or contact of a sexual nature that is likely to cause offence or humiliation to any employee; or that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by that employee as placing a condition of a sexual nature on employment or on any opportunity for training or promotion. Sexual harassment makes a person feel uncomfortable and/or ashamed. It is usually motivated by power, it is one-sided and humiliating.

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* 10. How many times have you EXPERIENCED sexual harassment in the industry?

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* 11. How many times have you WITNESSED/HEARD OF sex discrimination in the industry?

Sex Discrimination: Sex discrimination includes gender, pregnancy, and sexual harassment. It means treating someone badly or denying them a benefit because they are male, female, intersex, transgender or because of their gender identity. Sex discrimination can occur in a number of ways including not being hired, not being promoted, being denied services, etc due to sex or gender.

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* 12. How many times have you EXPERIENCED sex discrimination in the industry?

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* 13. How many times have you WITNESSED/HEARD of sexual assault in the industry?

Sexual Assault: Someone touches you in a sexual way on purpose, directly or indirectly, without your consent. It can consist of penetration crimes, contact crimes or exposure crimes.

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* 14. How many times have you EXPERIENCED sexual assault in the industry?

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* 15. How many times have you WITNESSED/HEARD OF hazing in the industry?

Hazing: "Hazing involves traditions or rituals expected of someone joining (or maintaining membership in) a group or organization that humiliate, degrade or harm the person, but that are usually framed as community or team building." - University of AB

Hazing can vary in severity from subtle hazing to harassment-style hazing to violent hazing. Examples of hazing include: bondage/kidnap pranks; exposing someone to hot/cold/environmental elements without proper protection; making someone perform degrading acts; forcing substance use or intoxication on someone; making someone perform duties that others don't have to; depriving someone of sleep, showers or food; verbal abuse; drills for meaningless reasons etc.

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* 16. How many times have you EXPERIENCED hazing in the industry?

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* 17. If you witnessed or experienced hazing in the industry, was there a sexual component to it? (ex. sexually degrading jokes, comments or gestures, pranks or games that had a sexualized tone, touching that was sexual in nature, hazing rituals targeted to an individual or group of workers based solely on their gender or sexual identity)

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* 18. Some industries and work environments are much more prone to having hazing rituals occur than others. In your industry are you aware of hazing practices taking place? 

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* 19. Of instances of sexual harassment/sex discrimination/assault/hazing that you know were reported, how well do you think the company responded? (1 being completely dissatisfied with the response and 10 being completely satisfied with the response) You may skip this question if it is not applicable.

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i We adjusted the number you entered based on the slider’s scale.

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* 20. If you reported sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination/hazing to the company, how satisfied were you with the response? (1 being completely dissatisfied with the response and 10 being completely satisfied with the response) You may skip this question if it is not applicable.

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* 21. If you experienced or witnessed an incident of sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination/hazing would you feel comfortable reporting it to the company/management? 

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* 22. If you answered YES to Q21, what makes you feel comfortable reporting to your company/management?

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* 23. If you answered NO to Q21, what makes you feel uncomfortable/unsafe about reporting to your company/management?

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* 24. If you answered DEPENDS to Q21, please explain?

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* 25. How "serious or severe" does a situation have to be for you to report it to your employer/management/company?  Please read over each statement thoroughly and check the ones that apply.

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* 26. Would you prefer that reporting and investigations be handled internally (by the employer) or externally (by an outside agency/third party)

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* 27. Please explain your answer stated in Q26:

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* 28. Do you have any details or comments regarding reporting incidents that you wish to provide? Do you have thoughts on what needs to change to make workers feel more comfortable reporting to their company? (please don't identify individuals or specific companies)

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* 29. What unique factors about your industry/company do you feel contribute to sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination?

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* 30. Were you/are you aware of your company's sexual harassment and sexual assault policies and procedures?

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* 31. If you are aware of the company's sexual harassment/sexual assault policies and procedures, how effective do you think they are in preventing or reducing incidents? (1 being not effective at all and 10 being highly effective).  If you are unaware of your company's policies and procedures around sexual harassment/sexual assault, please skip this question.

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* 32. Do you think that policies and procedures are sufficient for reducing/preventing sexual violence in camps/remote workplaces, or should the company be taking additional measures?

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* 33. In your most recent year/season did your employer provide sexual harassment/sexual assault education? (training, facilitated discussions, presentations)

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* 34. In your most recent year/season do you recall seeing sexual violence information in your camp/workplace? (Posters, pamphlets, support contacts etc.)

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* 35. Do you think your camp/workplace should provide sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination education to all workers?

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* 36. Do you think that your camp/workplace should provide sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination education annually/seasonally?

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* 37. Would you prefer that education/training/conversation be provided in the workplace internally (by the employer or fellow employees) or externally (by an outside agency)?

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* 38. In regards to Q37, Please explain why you would prefer Internal or External?

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* 39. How would you feel if all workers (including management) were required to take sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination training every year/season?

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* 40. If you were required to take sexual violence education/training, would you prefer to take it in-person with other co-workers and managers on site, or virtually from camp or home via Zoom, Teams, etc.

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* 41. If you were required to take education/training on these topics, what is most likely to encourage you to engage/participate in the session(s)?

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* 42. How comfortable/confident do you feel intervening in an incident if you see sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination/hazing occurring?

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* 43. In terms of sexual harassment/sexual assault, how safe do/did you feel in your camp/workplace? (1 being very unsafe and 10 being very safe)

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* 44. Would you be more likely to apply for a job or work for a company that has a sexual harassment/sexual assault/sex discrimination safety certification?

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* 45. What changes, if any, do you feel would create a safer environment in terms of sexual violence in camp/remote workplaces?

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* 46. How would you like to see us use the information gathered from this survey?

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* 47. Have you witnessed or experienced anything that you would like to anonymously share here? Add your story below or email info@nsdp.ca with the subject line Remote Workplace Survey. Please do not identify victims, companies or perpetrators.

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