Safe Harbour: Respect for All is about a vision in action: creating opportunities for storefront businesses, institutions, agencies, and entire municipalities to better understand and celebrate our differences, helping to create safer, more welcoming communities that support diversity and reject discrimination.

Community Organizers deliver the free two-hour Safe Harbour orientation to local businesses and agencies, helping them create an environment where employees, customers and clients of diverse backgrounds know that they will be safe from discrimination. The orientation explores stereotyping, how members of marginalized groups might experience living in our communities, the definition of diversity, and what demonstrates respect to people of different backgrounds. Safe Harbour identifies simple steps for providing equitable treatment and a temporary refuge for anyone facing racism or hate.

Upon completion of the orientation, participants receive a Safe Harbour window decal and promotional materials to display as visible markers of their respect for all cultures, ethnicities, religions, socio-economic backgrounds, family status, ages, abilities, genders, and sexual orientations.

Many employers doing business in Canada recognize the significance of diversity within their organization and within the communities they serve. With the country facing a skills shortage and immigrants driving labour market growth, it simply makes good business sense to join as a Safe Harbour in order to better attract and retain a more diverse range of employees. Safe Harbour can also help businesses tap into a more diverse customer base. Safe Harbour builds on what businesses and agencies say they are already doing to make their workplaces and neighbourhoods more welcoming.

Safe Harbour locations commit to:

Equitable treatment: Treating all of their clients and/or customers in an equitable manner; if a concern is expressed regarding a lack of equitable treatment, staff members take this concern seriously and take steps to address the problem.

Providing a “Safe Harbour”: Being a temporary safe place where someone who has experienced mistreatment will receive a helping hand such as a place to sit, a telephone to use, and information about how to seek further assistance.

Prepared employees: Preparing all employees to celebrate diversity, and assist those who require a temporary refuge from discrimination.

To learn more about Safe Harbour visit www.safeharbour.ca or contact Laurie Hauer at 780-945-2294 or lhauer@emcn.ab.ca