Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver is committed to the highest ethical standards. We do this by conducting our business with maximum integrity and by achieving full compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. In line with this commitment, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver provides an avenue for its employees, Board members, volunteers and other stakeholders to report any concerns they may have about the activities covered by this policy and to be assured that they will be protected from reprisal or victimization for reporting their concerns in good faith.

This policy covers instances where an employee, Board member or other stakeholder has evidence of activity by any Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver officer, employee, Board member or consultant (including external auditors) that to his/her knowledge constitutes:

• Accounting, auditing, or other financial reporting fraud or misrepresentation;
• Violations of federal or provincial laws that could result in fines or civil damages payable by Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, or that could otherwise significantly harm Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s reputation or public image;
• Unethical business conduct in violation of any Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver policy, including, but not limited to its Codes of Ethics;
• Danger to the health, safety, or well-being of employees, Board members and/or the general public.
• Harassment, retaliation, or discrimination, stemming from having reported a Reportable Activity.

For the purposes of this Policy, any of the foregoing activities shall be deemed to be a “Reportable Activity”.

Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver will not permit any employees, Board members, volunteers, consultants or external stakeholder to harass, retaliate or discriminate against any other employee, Board member, volunteer or stakeholder who, in good faith, has reported a Reportable Activity / Complaint. Retaliation in any form will not be tolerated.

All complaints will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.

Anyone filing a complaint must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a Reportable Activity / Complaint. Any allegations that prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious offence.

Procedure for making a complaint

To file a complaint or Reportable Activity, please email either the Board Chair or the Executive Director who have the responsibility to follow-up. The Chair of the Board, however, will refer your complaint to the Executive Director if the Reportable Activity concerns an employee other than the Executive Director or concerns a consultant retained by Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver staff.

A Complainant may remain anonymous. However, in order to allow for a better investigation of a complaint, the Complainant should consider providing his/her name and contact information. Whether or not a name and contact information is provided, the substance of the complaint will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.

The Complainant should give enough information to enable a full investigation, including where and when the Reportable Activity (Complaint) occurred, names and titles of individuals involved, and as much other relevant detail as the Complainant can provide.

Investigation and resolution of complaint

The recipient of a complaint made in accordance with this policy (the “investigator”) shall be responsible for conducting an investigation into the complaint. The Investigator will notify the person that submitted a complaint and acknowledge the receipt of the information. All complaints will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective action will be taken if warranted by the investigation.

When you submit your report, please include as much information as possible, such as:

• Your Name

• Your Role at Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (volunteer, client, staff, donor)

• Supervisor Name (if applicable)

• Phone #

• Email address

• Description of Reportable Activity

• Whether the Reportable Activity is ongoing, completed, (or unclear)

• Department (if applicable)

• Individual(s) suspected of Reportable Activity

• How you became aware of the activity

• Describe any steps you took prior to submitting this report (ex. informed a BBGV representative)