Safe Harbour - Respect For All

Successes to Date

Safe Harbour has successfully expanded into 23 B.C. communities with participation from over 270 businesses, financial institutions, government agencies, and organizations.

City Councils in Duncan, Terrace, Langley, Campbell River, Kamloops, Quesnel, and Chilliwack are all on board with Safe Harbour. Community Organizers are working with their cities to promote and expand the reach of Safe Harbour in their communities.

Victoria
BC Ombudsman Kim Carter, along with her office staff have become members of the Safe Harbourprogram. The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria successfully delivered a Safe Harbourtraining session to 12 key staff at the Victoria-based Ombudsman’s office. The training was well received by participants, and BC Ombudsman Kim Carter has endorsed Safe Harbour to provide protection in the community against discrimination.

Cowichan Valley
Cowichan Valley continues to inform their community about Safe Harbour via media releases, the CIS newsletter, support from the Duncan RONA, community dialogue, and discussions with Cowichan Tribes members. Articles about Safe Harbour were published in the Cowichan Valley Citizen newspaper and in the Cowichan News Leader. A wider range of partnerships have been formed with both small and largebusinesses, First Nations businesses, and government agenices. CIS has offered additional support to staff of businesses and agencies associated with Safe Harbourvia phone, e-mail, and personal contact.

Campbell River
The Campbell River Multicultural and Immigrant Services Association has been educating various groups in their community. They met with participants for a Safe Harbour seniors group and also conducted a Safe Harbour question & support group for participants in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender groups. In addition, they facilitated a Safe Harbourpresentation to the Daybreak Rotary Club with 55 people in attendance.

Kamloops
Safe Harbour has been very successful in Kamloops, with great response from NGOs, service providers, and employment agencies and 48 locations displaying the Safe Harbour window decal. Moving full steam ahead, more training sessions are being organized with registration filling up fast.

Langley
Langley Community Services Society has been busy promoting Safe Harbour at various community events. As a result of their efforts, Safe Harbour has received recognition in the Langley Advance newspaper. A small business orientation session was conducted recently, and participants have shown their appreciation for the flexibility of the program.

Nanaimo
Safe Harbour is an original initiative of the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society (CVIMS), in partnership with the Nanaimo Action for Diversity Team (ADT). The Safe Harbour project first began here in 2004, when a range of enthusiastic businesses and agencies, from Royal Bank to ACME FOOD restaurant, became the first Safe Harbours in British Columbia. Today, 32 locations proudly display the Safe Harbour window decal, and the Nanaimo Action for Diversity Team has received national recognition from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for developing Safe Harbour. CVIMS has conducted a training session with volunteers from the Community Policing office and the new RCMP office in Nanaimo. They have all expressed that the orientation and resources greatly complemented their work.

Terrace
Safe Harbour has achieved overwhelming success in Terrace, with over 40 Safe Harbour window decals on display. In fact, there has been so much interest from local businesses, agencies, and municipal employees (including representatives from the City of Terrace and local police) that additional Safe Harbour training sessions have been held. Upon completion of the pilot Safe Harbour training session, Terrace City Council signed the Safe Harbour commitment and declared the City of Terrace an official “Safe Harbour Community”. In addition, City Council will assist to expand the reach of the project by encouraging other communities in the area to also become Safe Harbour communities.

Skeena Diversity also adapted the Safe Harbour and created an innovative program: the Safe Harbour Youth Ambassador Diversity Program. Through Safe Harbour Youth Ambassador diversity training, Terrace high school students gained Safe Harbour knowledge and skills in order to undertake their own activities to promote diversity based on the Safe Harbour principles. Youth Ambassadors are trained youth in Grades 10 to 12 who facilitate Children’s Safe Harbour Workshops for students in Grades 4 to 6, under the guidance of an Adult Mentor. For more information: http://www.youthambassador.ca

South Vancouver
Safe Harbour in South Vancouver is unfolding as a collaborative initiative. The Victoria Drive Business Improvement Area Board of Directors strongly endorse the project and have approved their coordinator to work with Safe Harbour to better integrate Safe Harbour goals with BIA goals. All businesses that participate in Safe Harbour training will now be featured in the BIA newsletter as businesses that welcomes and promotes diversity. With this type of partnership, the Safe Harbourmessage is spread across a wider area and a sense of working collectively toward a shared vision emerges among participating businesses and agencies. To date, there are 16 Safe Harbourlocations enthusiastic about celebrating diversity.

Check out this page in the coming months, as we continue to add to the growing network of Safe Harbours across British Columbia.