Response Protocols to Address Discrimination, Racism, Hate Activity and Hate Crime

Responding to incidents of discrimination, racism, and hate can take many forms, from active witnessing and informal community conflict resolution through to policy-based actions by agencies and legal recourse.

Just as communities have procedures in place to respond to disasters and crisis situations, response protocols support our local communities with practical processes and tools to respond to incidents of discrimination, racism, or hate-motivated activities.

The Campbell River protocol was created by IWC and has been in place for more than a decade. It was updated by the IWC in 2018 and again in 2021 with the support of The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network. The Port Hardy protocol was released in Oct. 2021. The Network currently has 36 spokes across the province involving more than 50 communities, and the IWC is the lead organization in the Campbell River and North Island spoke.

The IWC extends its gratitude to community development consultant Brenda Wagman for her work in updating the most recent Campbell River protocol and for her involvement in training signatories.

The Resilience BC Anti-Racism Network and resulting protocols are funded by the provincial government. Resilience BC offers a province-wide approach to identifying and challenging racism. The program connects communities across the province with information, supports, and the training they need to respond to, and prevent, future incidents of racism and hate.

Seventeen stakeholders signed the Campbell River protocol in 2021 and 2022, and eight in Port Hardy. The stakeholders agree to help enhance our community’s understanding of and response to discrimination, racism, and hate activities. This includes reporting incidents to the IWC for data collection to help identify trends and priorities for community action.

Campbell River signatories:

• The Immigrant Welcome Centre
• City of Campbell River
• Campbell River RCMP Detachment
• Campbell River & District Chamber of Commerce
• Campbell River and North Island Transition Society
• Campbell River Family Services Society
• John Howard Society of North Island
• Laichwiltach Family Life Society
• Campbell River Volunteer Society
• North Island College
• North Island Employment Foundations Society
• North Island Métis Association
• Sasamans Society
• School District 72
• Michele Babchuk, MLA North Island
• Rachel Blaney, MP North Island – Powell River
• The Salvation Army Ocean Crest Community Ministries

Port Hardy signatories:

• The Immigrant Welcome Centre
• District of Port Hardy Chamber of Commerce
• North Island College
• North Island Employment Foundations Society
• Port Hardy/Port Alice RCMP Detachment
• Vancouver Island Regional Library – Port Hardy branch
• Michele Babchuk, MLA North Island
• Rachel Blaney, MP North Island-Powell River