Our commitment to safe sport

Sport organizations in British Columbia are committed to creating a safe sport environment that is accessible, inclusive, respects their participants personal goals, and is free from all forms of maltreatment.

A fair and safe sport system


As part of the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum’s (Sports Hall) commitment to Safe Sport and inclusion, our youth education program delivery staff have completed Commit to Kids training through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.  Under the Sports Hall’s Employee Policies and Procedures, all teammates are required to adhere to the BC Universal Code of Conduct, to advance a respectful sport culture that delivers quality, inclusive, welcoming and safe sport experiences.

All Sports Hall teammates and volunteers involved with program delivery, who work with or potentially have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults, must undergo criminal record checks by the Criminal Records Review Program (CRRP).

The Sports Hall values fair, safe, open, and inclusive sport for all.  To this end, in partnership with viaSport British Columbia, we promote and activate initiatives with and for our teammates and program participants.

Privacy Policy

1. Website

By visiting, accessing and/or using bcsportshall.com (the “Website”), or any portion or area thereof, you acknowledge having read this legal statement, and you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions set out herein. We believe that your personal information deserves protection. While you can visit bcsportshall.com without registering or providing any personal information, you will need to register if you want to make a purchase. The personal information requested is necessary to process your order. What does bcsportshall.com use your personal information for?  

  • To process your orders 
  • To personalize the delivery of contents to you 

bcsportshall.com may also use personal account information and data collected through your personal identification to generate statistics and aggregate reports for internal use and for sharing with affiliates, successors, and advertisers. These statistics and aggregate reports will not contain any personally identifiable information. Your identity is kept anonymous. We intend to give you as much control as possible over your personal information. 

In general, you can visit the BC Sports Hall of Fame on the Web without telling us who you are or revealing any information about yourself. There are times, however, when we may need information from you, such as your name and address. It is our intent to let you know before we collect personal information from you on the Internet. If you choose to give us personal information via the Internet that we may need – to correspond with you, process an order or provide you with a subscription, for example – it is our intent to let you know how we will use such information. If you tell us that you do not wish to have this information used as a basis for further contact with you, we will respect you wishes. We do keep track of the domains from which people visit us. We analyze this data for trends and statistics.

2. Information Security and Quality 

We intend to protect the quality and integrity of your personally identifiable information. We have implemented appropriate technical and managerial procedures to maintain information that is accurate, current, and complete. We will make a sincere effort to respond to your requests to correct personal information inaccuracies in a timely manner. User specific personal information is not currently sold, rented or made available to anyone other than the BC Sports Hall of Fame, but we may decide to do so in the future. If this were to happen the BC Sports Hall of Fame would announce such a plan and ask you to “opt in”. By default, we would assume that you don’t want in – if you wanted to share your personal information, you would have to respond. In the absence of such a response, your information would not be shared with anyone other than the the BC Sports Hall of Fame.  

The BC Sports Hall of Fame web site contains links to other web sites. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites.

3. Policy changes

The BC Sports Hall of Fame reserves the right to change this Privacy Policy at any time. We also reserve the right at any time to disclose any information in an individual’s account:  

i. to satisfy any law, regulation or government request;
ii. if such disclosure is necessary or appropriate to site operation; or
iii. to protect the rights of property of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and its users, sponsors, providers, licensors or merchants. 

4. Cookies

There are various technologies, including one called “cookies”, which can be used to provide you with tailored information from a Web site. A cookie is an element of data that a Web site can send to your browser, which may then store it on your system. Some BC Sports Hall of Fame pages use cookies or other technologies so that we can better serve you when you return to our site. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it.

5. Investigation Training  

All those responsible for the carrying out and investigation will be trained either by a recognized  course or within an internal training program. Additional training will be provided and expertise  developed internally for personnel responsible for carrying out these investigations.  

Where no trained internal investigation resource is available, an outside agency may be engaged.  The BC Sports Hall may consult with viaSport British Columbia for recommendations on  experienced investigation resources. 

6. Investigation Contents

All information gathered, and any written summary prepared by WSL is  confidential. The investigation report must contain:   

    • Names of those involved;  
    • Names and contact of any witnesses;  
    • Location of maltreatment;  
    • Date and time of maltreatment;  
    • Type of maltreatment;  
    • Injuries sustained;  
    • Sequence of events leading to maltreatment;  
    • Cause(s); and  
    • Corrective action(s).

7. Internal Investigation Report Distribution   

The investigator will prepare a written summary for presentation to the CEO and the Chair,  Governance who will determine if a resolution is possible, or alternative means of resolution. Organizational representatives must receive a copy of the investigations report or summary for  review. These include but are not limited to:

  • CEO
  • Chair, Governance Committee
  • Manager and Supervisor responsible for the area of operations of the case of  maltreatment,

BC Sports Hall reserves the right to inform the appropriate bodies of maltreatment.

1. Definition

Safe sport refers to our collective responsibility to create, foster and preserve sport environments that ensure positive, healthy and fulfilling experiences for all individuals.

British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (The BC Sports Hall) is committed to creating a safe sport environment that is accessible, inclusive and free of abuse, harassment, discrimination and all forms of maltreatment.

Reporting concerns and violations to the British Columbia Universal Code of Conduct (BC UCC) is the responsibility of the BC Sports Hall. BC Sports Hall will investigate all reported violations as described in the BC UCC.

The following terms have these meaning in the Policy:

“Minor” – Any Participant who is under the age of majority at the time and in the jurisdiction where the alleged Maltreatment has occurred. Adults are responsible for knowing the age of a Minor. For the purpose of protection in British Columbia, a Minor is a child younger than 19.

“Participant” – Any individual who is subject to the BC UCC. Participants may become subject to the BC UCC by various means: Individuals (athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, administrators, directors, trainers, etc.) through membership in a Federated Sport organization and/or by signing an express contract accepting the jurisdiction of the BC UCC. This could include a parent or legal guardian of a Minor registered in a Federated Sport in British Columbia becomes a Participant and is therefore subject to the BC UCC.

“Persons in authority” – Any Participant who holds a position of authority within the BC Sports Hall including, but not limited to ambassadors, educators, youth program delivery leads, managers, support personnel, chaperones, committee members, and Directors and Officers.

“Vulnerable Individuals” – A person under the age of 19 years old and/or a person who, because of age, disability or other circumstance, is in a position of dependence on others or is otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by people in positions of trust or authority.

2. Purpose

The Participant Protection Policy describe how Persons in Authority shall maintain a safe sport environment for all participants.

3. Policy

1. Interactions between Persons in Authority and Participants – the ‘Rule of Two’

1.1 BC Sports Hall requires that Persons in Authority and program participants follow the ‘Rule of Two’, to the maximum extent possible. The ‘Rule of Two’ is a directive stating that a participant must never be alone one-on-one with an unrelated Person in Authority.

1.2 BC Sports Hall recognizes that abiding by the ‘Rule of Two’ may not be feasible in some instances. Given the dynamics of participation and training, persons may participate individually or in group environments. Persons in Authority must comply with the ‘Rule of Two’ to the fullest extent possible. Compliance with the ‘Rule of Two’ involves adhering to the following guidelines:

1.2.1 The program environment should be visible and accessible so that all interactions between Persons in Authority and participants are observable.

1.2.2 Private or one-on-one situations that are not observable by another adult or participant should be avoided. If these situations cannot be avoided, they must be observable or within earshot of another adult or participant.

1.2.3 Vulnerable Participants must not be in any situation where they are alone with a Person in Authority without another Participant or adult present unless prior written permission is obtained from the Vulnerable Individual’s parent or guardian.

1.2.4 Persons in Authority may not invite or host Vulnerable Individual in their home without the written permission from parents or guardians or without parents or guardians having knowledge of the visit.

1.2.5 It is strongly recommended that teams or groups of participants have at least two persons in authority with them. Screened parents or volunteers may act in place of Persons in Authority.

2. Events and Activities

2.1 If a Vulnerable Participant is the first participant to arrive, the Participant’s parent or guardian should remain until another Participant or Person in Authority arrives.

2.2 If a Vulnerable Participant would potentially be alone with a Person in Authority following a competition or practice, the Person in Authority should ask another Person in Authority (or a parent or guardian of another Participant) to stay until all of the Participants have been picked up. If an adult is unavailable, another Participant, who is preferably not a Vulnerable Participant, should be present in order to avoid the Person in Authority being alone with a single Vulnerable Participant.

2.3 Persons in Authority giving instructions, demonstrating skills, or facilitating drills or lessons to an individual Participant should always do so within eyesight and earshot of another Person in Authority.

2.4 If a Person in Authority and a participant expect to be away from other Participants for a period of time, they must inform another Person in Authority where they are going and when they are expected to return. Persons in Authority should always be reachable by phone or text message.

3. Communication

3.1 For communication in any form between Persons in Authority and Participants, all communications such as texts, messages, or emails shall be professional in tone.

Additionally, the following guidelines must be followed:

a) Group messages, group emails, or collaboration pages are to be used as the regular method of communication between Persons in Authority and Participants.

b) Persons in Authority may only send texts, direct messages on social media, or emails to individual Participants when necessary and only for communicating information related to program issues and activities (e.g., non-personal information). No personal texts between Vulnerable Individuals and Persons in Authority are to be sent; however, if this is necessary, it should include one other adult on the message.

c) Communication between Persons in Authority and Participants that is personal in nature should be avoided. If such personal communication is unavoidable, it must be recorded and available for review by another Person in Authority and/or by the participant’s parent/guardian (i.e., if the individual is a Vulnerable Participant).

d) Parents/guardians may request that their child not be contacted by a Person in Authority using any form of electronic communication and/or may request that certain information about their child not be distributed in any form of electronic communications.

e) All communication between a Person in Authority and Participants must be between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm unless extenuating circumstances justify otherwise.

f) Communication concerning drugs or alcohol use is not permitted, unless the communication relates to policies prohibiting its use.

g) Communications may not include sexually explicit language, imagery, or content.

h) Persons in Authority should not ask Participants to keep a secret for them.

i) A Person in Authority should not become overly involved in a Participant’s personal life.

4. Travel and overnight programs

4.1 For travel and overnight programs involving Persons in Authority and Participants, adherence to the following guidelines is essential:

a) Groups of participants are to travel with at least three persons with them.

b) A Person in Authority should not drive a vehicle alone with a Vulnerable Participant unless the Person in Authority is the Participant’s parent, guardian, or teacher. If it cannot be avoided, the Participant must ride in the back seat.

c) A Person in Authority may not share a room or be in a hotel room alone with a Participant unless the Person in Authority is the participant’s parent/guardian or spouse.

d) Room or bed checks during overnight stays must be done by two adults one of which is in Authority.

e) For overnight programs when participants must share a space, roommates must be age-appropriate (e.g., within approximately two years of age of one another) and of the same gender.

5. Closed spaces

5.1 For washrooms, changing areas, and other closed meeting spaces, adherence to the following guidelines is required:

a) Interactions between Persons in Authority and participants should not occur in any area where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy – such as a washroom or changing area. A second adult should be present for any necessary interaction between an adult and a participant in any such area.

b) If Persons in Authority are not present in the washroom or changing area, or if they are not permitted to be present, they should to the best of their ability be available outside the locker room or changing area and be able to enter the room or area if required, e.g. communications and/or emergency.

6. Photography / Video

6.1 Any photography or video involving Participants, will adhere to the following guidelines:

a) Photographs and video should be taken in public view. Content must observe generally accepted standards of decency, and be both appropriate for and in the best interest of the participant.

b) The use of recording devices in any areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy – such as locker rooms or washrooms – is strictly prohibited.

c) If content featuring a participant will be used on any form of public media, a BC Sports Hall Photo Release consent form must be completed before the content is recorded.

6.2 Examples of photos that shall be edited or deleted include:

a) Images with misplaced apparel or where undergarments are showing;

b) Suggestive or provocative poses; and

c) Embarrassing images.

6.3 Teachers of Hero in You program Participants are provided with a photo release consent form, and Participant parents or guardians asked to complete this form when activity images may be used for communications or marketing purposes of the BC Sports Hall.

6.4 Consent to Photography / Video is not required to participate in BC Sports Hall programs.

7. Physical Contact

7.1 Some physical contact between Persons in Authority and participants may be necessary for various reasons including, but not limited to, teaching a skill or tending to an injury. For physical contact, adherence to the following guidelines is required:

a) A Person in Authority must always request permission to make physical contact from the participant in advance and clearly explain where, why and how the physical contact will occur. The Person in Authority must make clear that they are requesting to touch the participant and not requiring physical contact.

b) Infrequent, incidental physical contact during a program session is not considered a violation of policy.

c) Non-essential physical contact may not be initiated by the Person of Authority. It is recognized that some participants may initiate non-essential physical contact such as hugging or other physical contact with a Person in Authority for various reasons (e.g., such as celebrating after a strong performance or crying after a poor performance). This physical contact should always occur in an open and observable environment.

8. Enforcement

8.1 Any alleged violations of this Participant Protection Policy shall be addressed pursuant to the BC Sports Hall Safe Sport Response Policy.

How to report maltreatment

The Board of Trustees of the BC Sports Hall of Fame is undertaking work to develop a Safe Sport Response policy across the organization.  The intent is to provide a safe pathway for the receipt of complaints, impartial investigation, and response procedures.

If you are aware of a suspected incident of abuse, harassment, discrimination, bullying, or maltreatment, we encourage you to reach out to the Canadian Sport Helpline for support.  Our Board Chair and CEO are also reachable at board@bcsportshall.com and ceo@bcsportshall.com, respectively.

B.C. Helpline for Children:  a confidential toll-free phone line for children and youth wanting to talk to someone – 310-1234 (no area code required)

VictimsLinkBC: a toll-free, confidential, multi-lingual telephone and online service available across BC 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence.

Resilience BC: the Anti-Racism Network provides information about how to report incidences of racism and hate crimes if you are a victim or witness such incidences.

Additional information and resources

The BC Sports Hall of Fame’s safe sport policies can be reviewed here:

  1. Employee and Volunteer Screening Policy
  2. Participant Protection Policy
  3. Safe Sport Reporting and Investigations  If you have any comments to share on the draft policy framework, please reach out to us at hello@bcsportshall.com

BC Sports Hall of Fame is committed to supporting sport organizations in creating sport environments that are free from all forms of harm: physical, mental, emotional, and psychological.

To learn more, please click on the links below: