KlezKanada unequivocally supports open and diverse creative expression and a shared commitment to community care and to doing no harm. All participants must agree to uphold the Code of Conduct when registering for the retreat or buying tickets to a KlezKanada event.

KlezKanada has a zero-tolerance policy towards any acts of discrimination, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse, destruction of property, harassment, or violence towards any festival participant or staff member on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, religion, language, national origin, political orientation, class, sexual orientation, gender or perceived gender identification, or levels of physical ability.

Any programs geared towards specific age groups, such as the scholarship program, are done to encourage participation by people who would otherwise be underrepresented in our programming. Making KlezKanada’s programs safer and more inclusive is essential to us, whether we are meeting in person or online. Online harassment (verbal or written) is considered to be as serious as in-person harassment.

At KlezKanada’s Summer Retreat or other events, if any participant or Board or staff member experiences discrimination, destruction of property, verbal, emotional, or physical abuse, harassment, or violence from a member of the Board, faculty or staff or another retreat or event participant, that person is encouraged to report the incident(s) to the ombudsperson (by email: ombudsperson@klezkanada.org). The ombudsperson will anonymize the information you provide and then relay the information to the Executive Director to investigate, using such resources and methods as deemed necessary by the Executive Director.

If the complaint is verified, the individual may be asked to leave the retreat or the event at the discretion of the Executive Director. If asked to leave, that individual may not be allowed to participate in future events and will not receive reimbursement for any retreat or event fees.

If an individual is asked to leave the event, they will be accompanied by at least two people, who will be either a member of the staff or Board of Directors while they collect their belongings and are escorted offsite. A letter from the Executive Director and Chair of the Board stating the circumstances for the decision and future consequences will be sent to the person after the event. In the event that the person does not comply with the request to leave the event, the Executive Director will determine if other means are required to ensure the individual safely leaves the venue.