Code of Conduct Policy and Procedures

Governance Policies and Procedures

Policy Number: G 2.2 | Policy Type: Board Policy | Approval Date: April 2026

Introduction

The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is proud that the foundation of our association is volunteerism, and our strength in providing professional development is due to the dedicated members of our association who continue to share their knowledge and expertise with the whole library community.

As an association, OLA is strongly committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and the free expression of ideas. The Association is also dedicated to ensuring positive experiences for all participants, and expects attendees, speakers, exhibitors, volunteers, and staff to show respect and courtesy toward one another at all conferences, events, meetings, and forums.

Scope

This code of conduct applies to all interactions with OLA meetings, correspondence, events, conferences, online groups, and forums. This includes attendees, speakers, exhibitors, volunteers, and staff – virtual or in-person.

Commitment to Respective Discourse

Respect the dignity and human rights of others. Foster respect by contributing to a positive environment in which each individual is valued and heard and by treating others as they wish to be treated.
Follow instructions of the event leader or moderator of the meeting, conference, forum, or event.
Be accountable. Take accountability by being responsible for your actions.
Promote a safe and healthy environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, and violence. Appreciate the diversity of ideas, thoughts, and expressions; and be open to new pedagogy when delivering or attending workshops and sessions.
Be a good bystander. Bystanders are encouraged to calmly intervene in response to Code of Conduct violations when it is safe to do so or are expected to seek assistance when direct intervention is not possible. Any bystander should note time, location and other details that can be used in later investigations. OLA will provide training and orientation for volunteers to support awareness of and responsibility for upholding this commitment.

No Tolerance for Discrimination or Harassment

OLA is committed to promoting a safe and healthy environment that supports personal security where every person has the right to be free from harassment and discrimination, intentional or unintentional.

Discrimination is defined as any action, behaviour, or decision—intentional or not—that treats a person or group unfairly, imposed burdens, or denies benefits based on protected grounds. It results in disadvantages, violates dignity, and limits access to opportunities in areas like employment, housing, and services.

Harassment is defined as engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known or ought to reasonably be known to be unwelcome.

This policy prohibits discrimination or harassment, including sexual, based on the following grounds outlined within the Ontario Human Rights Code, RSO 1990, c.H19, as well as any combination of these grounds:

Age
Creed (religion)
Sexual (including pregnancy and breastfeeding)
Gender identity
Gender expression
Family status (such as being in a parent-child relationship)
Marital status (including marries, single, widowed, divorced, separated, or living in a conjugal relationship outside of marriage, whether in a same-sex or opposite-sex relationship)
Disability (including mental, physical, developmental or learning disabilities)
Race
Ancestry
Place of origin
Ethnic origin
Citizenship
Colour
Record of offences (criminal conviction for a provincial offence, or for an offence for which a pardon has been received.
Association or relationship with a person identified by one of the above grounds.
Perception that one of the above grounds applies.

If and when they feel safe to do so, OLA encourages bystanders to intervene when they witness code violations. Anyone who experiences or witnesses harassment or any incidents of unacceptable behaviour should inform either a member of the Code of Conduct Committee, OLA Executive Director, or an OLA Staff as soon as possible.

General

Promotion of the Code of Conduct

The OLA Code of Conduct will be circulated to members, delegates, participants and presenters:

on the OLA Groups websites (Communities of Practice and Sector Forums)
contracts (e.g. workshop, presenter, vendor)
on the Super Conference website and all events pages
as part of the onboarding program for all volunteers including Board and Councils.

Cycle of the Violation Process

1. Witnessing or Experiencing a Code of Conduct Violation:

If anyone feels that this code of conduct has been breached, it is important to report the incident as soon as possible. Witnesses and bystanders may choose to address the behaviour at the time, if it is safe to do so and if it does not place the person experiencing harm at further risk. Regardless, there is an expectation that witnesses will report the incident to a member of the Code of Conduct Committee, the OLA Executive Director, or a member of OLA Staff.

2. Resolving the Matter:

Criminal Incident: If the activity is violent and/or of a criminal nature, OLA will contact law enforcement immediately.

Incident with Immediate Resolution: The situation may be diffused and resolved during the event or meeting due to:

an acknowledged misunderstanding of this situation,
an immediate rectification of the comments, presentation, or actions,
an authentic intent to not repeat the matter, and
a sense of safety and inclusion being restored for the participants.

Should the situation not be immediately diffused and resolved, the process will move to official report and investigation.

3. Official Reporting and Investigation

Once notice has been made of an incident:

The Code of Conduct representative will record the complainant’s account of the incident using a code of conduct report template as a guideline.
OLA will make every effort to address complaints promptly and to reduce the burden on the complainant as much as possible in finding a resolution. The complainant will not be asked to resolve the incident with the person who was alleged to have violated the code of conduct (hereafter referred to as the respondent) or to communicate with them in any way.
The Code of Conduct Committee will take into consideration any guidance the complainant may choose to offer on how they prefer the situation be resolved.

4. Contacting the Respondent

Up to two Code of Conduct Committee members will contact the respondent as soon as possible.

Once the respondent has been contacted, the Code of Conduct Committee member(s) will:
- Relay the details of the complaint and the behaviour that prompted the complaint, without identifying the complainant.
- Provide or link to a copy of the Code of Conduct and indicate that the process may result in corrective actions by the respondent.
- Record the respondent’s response to the complaint. Note any acknowledgement of the violation and record their recommendation on how the situation may be resolved.
- A report will then be prepared for the Code of Conduct Committee and should include:

A summary of the incident
Any further documentation (for example a recording of the session, if available)
A summary of the response from the respondent, and
Their relationship and history with OLA. This may include any previous complaints and/or involvement with OLA.

5. Meeting of the Code of Conduct Committee

The Code of Conduct Committee will review the report as soon as possible (ideally within 24 hours of correspondence to the respondent). The Committee will refer to the ‘Checklist for Confirmation of Breach of Code of Conduct’ as a guide. If the Committee agrees that the behaviour constituted a violation of the Code of Conduct, they will also decide upon the corrective action to apply, based on the severity of the incident.

6. Determining Corrective Actions

The following are considerations for the Code of Conduct Committee in determining corrective action. Do the corrective actions being considered:

Provide time to rebuild trust?
Prevent the respondent from breaching the Code of Conduct again?
Ensure that the respondent does not have a platform to cause further harm?
Take into account any preferred resolution of the complainant?
Take into account any remorse, commitment, understanding, or acknowledgement from the respondent?

Corrective Actions may include:

Warning with notice of further corrective actions if the behaviour continues.
Requirement that the respondent engage in training or further education as a condition of future involvement with OLA.
Advice to respondent for no further contact with the person who has lodged the complaint.
If the person is a volunteer or speaker, a reduction of their role in the event to an attendee.
Removal from the event.
In the case of recorded presentations and/or written communications that have caused the Code of Conduct incident, removal of the content during the review process and, pending the decision of the Code of Conduct Committee, revisions or permanent removal of the content.
Banning from future OLA events as a participant and/or presenter/planner for a prescribed period of time.
Recommendation to the OLA Board of Directors of removal as an OLA member.

7. Communicating with the Respondent

After the Committee has come to an agreement, up to two representatives will be tasked with communicating directly with the respondent to inform them of the Committee’s decision and any associated corrective actions. This will include a written report including a summary of the incident, their response, the description of the decision and corrective actions, and a process checklist confirming that the process, as described in policy, has been followed.

The respondent will have an opportunity to respond in writing or in a meeting with no less than 2 representatives from the Code of Conduct Committee to discuss the corrective actions and to relay any further mitigating information.

Based on this further correspondence, the report may be updated with any further information or modification to the corrective action.

8. Communicating with the Complainant

After the corrective action has been relayed to the respondent, two members of the Code of Conduct Committee will contact the complainant to relay the corrective action. The complainant may have the opportunity to meet with these representatives if desired. As a final step, they will be provided with a concluding and confidential report that includes a summary of the incident, the applied corrective action, and a process checklist confirming that the process, as described in policy, has been followed.

The Code of Conduct representatives will not facilitate or relay any apologies or messages from the respondent or attempt to mediate a difference of opinion.

Appeals

The OLA Code of Conduct Committee will make every reasonable effort to execute the OLA Code of Conduct process fairly and with consideration to all parties. The appeal process is not intended to be used for a disagreement with the consequences imposed.
An appeal is available only due to newly surfaced, consequential facts that were not previously available when the decision was made; consequences grossly disproportionate (in leniency or stringency) to the violation found, considering how similar situations were handled, if any, under current OLA policies (e.g., not under prior policies); lack of facts to support the decision; a conflict of interest by a decision-maker; or a failure to fulfill process requirements with consequential effects on the appealing person’s ability to address important considerations.
Should the person who has violated the OLA Code of Conduct or the complainant object to the process, the appeal may be referred to a Code of Conduct Appeals Committee, which is a separate sub-committee appointed by the OLA Board and may be members of the Board itself. This sub-committee will be struck in the instance of an appeal and will not include members of the Code of Conduct Committee but may request up to two members of the original Code of Conduct Committee to respond to any questions about the process.
The Code of Conduct Appeals Committee will determine:
1. Was the process flawed,
2. Are the corrective actions inappropriate (in leniency or stringency) to the incident.
If either of these questions are answered yes, a new Code of Conduct Committee will be struck to complete the process. Should the process be materially followed, the Appeals Committee will render their decision to the appellant, and the matter will be considered closed.

Concerns Raised After an Event
If an attendee has a concern after an event that has not been resolved onsite, was not reported during the event, or occurred online and no immediate resolution could occur, they should report it as soon as possible, but within thirty (30) days from the incident. The following process applies:
1. Reporting the Incident
2. Any attendee (hereafter referred to as the complainant) may report the incident to the Code of Conduct Committee representative confidentially or anonymously through an incident reporting form
3. The Committee will then follow the Official Reporting and Investigation process aforementioned.

Confidentiality

If the person raising the concern, any identified individual target, or the respondent or a witness asks an event contact for the confidentiality of their identity while the concern is being addressed, reasonable steps will be taken to maintain it. OLA will not maintain confidentiality if – in its judgment and discretion – safety, law, an investigation, determination of a violation, or disconnecting/removing a participant from the event requires otherwise. Anyone who receives information during an investigation, however, must maintain its confidentiality; failure to do so is a serious violation of this policy, as is retaliation against any identified individual target, witness, or anyone who raises or helps resolve a conduct concern.

Related Policies

Super Conference Event Policy and Procedure
OLA Media Communications Policy
OLA Social Media Policy
Code of Conduct Committee Terms of Reference

Revised: April 2026

Date for Review: 2027; Every 3 Years