Workplace Harassment Prevention Policy Template — Northwest Territories

Published by: Canada Policy Manual
Jurisdiction: Northwest Territories
Last updated: August 13, 2026
Document status: Published public template — approved for publication by Canada Policy Manual on August 13, 2026
Canonical page: https://canadapolicymanual.com/free-policies/workplace-harassment-policy/northwest-territories

Important use notice

This is a rigorous drafting template, not legal advice or a promise of legal immunity. The governing jurisdiction depends on the workplace and undertaking; federally regulated status depends primarily on the undertaking, not simply the employee's physical location. Laws, regulator interpretations and sector-specific rules may change after the last-updated date.

Before an employer issues or relies on this policy, it must:

1. confirm that this is the correct jurisdiction and check all sector-specific requirements;
2. replace every square-bracketed field and delete all drafting notes;
3. complete all legally required consultation, joint development, assessment, posting, availability and training steps;
4. insert workplace-specific hazards, controls, reporting recipients, emergency contacts and support services;
5. reconcile the policy with collective agreements, contracts, privacy, human rights, accessibility, professional, child/vulnerable-person, whistleblower and other applicable rules;
6. obtain qualified jurisdiction-specific legal advice for its operations and workforce; and
7. keep evidence of approval, communication, training, investigation, corrective action and every required review.

Legal requirement identifies a rule expressly reflected in cited occupational health and safety legislation. Regulator-stated expectation or adopted code method identifies official guidance or an approved code method. Enhanced control identifies a stronger administrative practice and is not represented as a statutory rule unless the policy expressly says otherwise.

Quebec is intentionally excluded. Do not use this template for a Quebec workplace.

Workplace Harassment Prevention Policy

1. Policy record

This written policy was developed and implemented in consultation with [committee/representative/workers] and is readily available to every worker. A mine operator must separately confirm the Mine Health and Safety Act and regulations; the WSCC Code treats this policy as best practice in the mining context but the exact statutory source differs.

2. Commitment, scope and definition

Every worker is entitled to work free of harassment. [Employer] will make every reasonable effort to prevent it, correct any individual who harasses a worker, investigate complaints fairly, inform parties of results, and preserve rights under other law.

It applies to workers, supervisors, managers, owners, directors, contractors, volunteers and work-related third parties and to connected physical/remote work, travel, camps/lodging, client/community sites, vehicles, training, events and digital communication.

Under OHS Regulations s. 34, harassment is a course of vexatious comment or conduct at a work site known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome and constituting a work-site threat to worker health or safety. It requires repeated conduct/comments/displays/actions/gestures or a single serious occurrence with a lasting harmful effect. Reasonable management/direction is excluded.

This policy also prohibits discriminatory, sexual and personal harassment described in the WSCC Code: protected-characteristic conduct threatening health/safety; offensive/unsolicited/unwelcome sexual conduct; and inappropriate conduct adversely affecting well-being, known/ought to humiliate/intimidate or threatening health/safety. Examples include threat, abuse, degrading comment/image, malicious gossip, hazing, stalking, cyber-harassment, exclusion, sabotage, unwanted sexual contact/advance, sexual coercion/benefit and retaliation.

3. Responsibilities and prevention

The employer consults, implements/makes available, trains, acts on known risk, investigates, corrects and prevents reprisal. Supervisors model respect, remain alert, receive/escalate reports, protect safety/evidence, apply interim measures and are trained for their role. Workers refrain, report experienced/observed harassment, cooperate and preserve privacy.

At annual enhanced review and after incident/change, [Employer] considers culture, prior concerns, remote/camp work, small-community privacy, travel, isolation, public/client interaction, digital/connectivity limits, power imbalance, language/cultural accessibility, young/new workers and third-party risk. Controls include staffing/check-ins, community/cultural supports, role clarity, client/contract rules, access/security and low-bandwidth reporting alternatives. Separately, at a work site where a violent situation has occurred or could reasonably be expected to occur, OHS Regulations R-039-2015 s. 35 requires the employer to develop and implement a written policy to deal with potential violence, after consultation with the Committee or representative or, if neither is available, the workers, and to make it readily available. The s. 35 policy is not universally required at every work site and is not labelled a “prevention plan” in the Regulation. It must be reviewed and, where necessary, revised at least every 3 years and whenever there is a change of circumstances that could affect the health or safety of workers. [Potential-violence policy, if required] satisfies that companion duty. Immediate danger: move to safety, call local emergency/RCMP services, use [site emergency procedure] and obtain first aid/medical help.

4. Complaint and response procedure

Report orally or in writing to [recipient] or [alternate independent recipient] if normal route involved/conflicted. A witness/representative may report; supervisors must escalate. No confrontation, form or prior informal step is required. Provide names, conduct/words, dates/locations/frequency, witnesses, records, impact and immediate needs if known. Anonymous, incomplete or delayed reports are assessed fairly.

Enhanced target: acknowledge within 2 business days where connectivity permits; otherwise at the earliest practicable opportunity. Screen emergency/violence, reprisal, conflict, accommodation, cultural/language and evidence needs; explain process/privacy/representation/external rights; preserve records; offer support. Interim no-contact, reporting/schedule/location change, security, remote work, transportation/accommodation change, paid leave or reassignment must be neutral, proportionate, reviewed every 30 days and not penalize the complainant.

5. Resolution, investigation and results

Voluntary informal resolution is optional and generally unsuitable for violence, serious sexual/discriminatory conduct, retaliation, coercion or major power imbalance. The employer investigates appropriately. An impartial competent investigator uses written terms; identifies allegations/tests; notifies parties; permits appropriate representation/support; interviews separately; gathers records; gives adequate particulars/response opportunity; lets parties address material conflicts; assesses credibility neutrally; and makes balance-of-probabilities findings. Enhanced target: 90 calendar days, with reasons and monthly updates if longer.

The report records mandate, process, material evidence, findings, reasoning and recommendations. The complainant receives the written summary of results prescribed by the policy and relevant corrective action, without unnecessary personal/disciplinary detail. The WSCC Harassment Code of Practice recommends communicating that summary to the complainant within 10 calendar days after the investigation concludes; this is Code guidance, not a deadline in s. 34. As an enhanced fairness commitment, [Employer] applies the same 10-calendar-day target to a written result summary for the alleged harasser where that person is its worker. Action may include direction, education, coaching, monitoring, voluntary restorative measures, accommodation, work/camp/security/contract redesign, reassignment, discipline up to termination and third-party exclusion. Owners/dates and 30/90/180-day follow-up are documented.

6. Privacy, reprisal, records, training and review

The employer will not disclose the complainant/alleged harasser names or circumstances except where necessary to investigate/take corrective action or required by law. Small-community familiarity does not justify wider disclosure. Protected reporting, representation, support and medical/legal/regulatory consultation remain permitted.

Reprisal, threat, ostracism, adverse assignment/accommodation/transport action or witness/evidence interference is prohibited and separately investigated. Unsubstantiated is not bad faith. Case files are access-restricted and stored separately. Enhanced retention: cases 7 years after closure and policy/consultation/training/review for active life plus 7 years, subject to privacy and legal hold.

Workers and supervisors receive accessible, culturally and linguistically suitable training on recognition, reporting alternatives, investigation, privacy, supports, bystander action and reprisal. Annual enhanced review is conducted with the applicable workplace party and immediately after law/incident/change/procedure failure.

This policy does not limit contact with WSCC, the Northwest Territories Human Rights Commission, police/RCMP, a union/arbitrator, privacy commissioner, workers' compensation or court/tribunal.

Northwest Territories authoritative sources

• Northwest Territories Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, R-039-2015 — ss. 34–35
• WSCC Harassment Code of Practice (NWT and Nunavut)
• Northwest Territories Safety Act

Operational schedules and forms

These schedules form part of this Northwest Territories policy unless governing law requires a different process. They have been separated and specialized for this jurisdiction. A jurisdiction-specific rule overrides a generic target. Do not issue blank schedules as if they were completed controls.

Mandatory Northwest Territories schedule preset

Treat the WSCC 10-day written-summary timing for the complainant as Code guidance, not a regulation deadline; the same target for a worker alleged to have harassed is this template's enhanced fairness control.

Schedule A — Pre-issue implementation certificate

The accountable officer and implementation lead must initial each item and attach evidence.

Certification: We have not treated publication as implementation. Based on the attached evidence, the selected policy is customized, consulted on, communicated, trained and operational at the workplaces listed.
Senior officer: [Name/signature/date]
Implementation lead: [Name/signature/date]
Required workplace party acknowledgement: [Name/role/signature/date; acknowledgement is not a waiver of disagreement]

Schedule B — Workplace harassment and violence hazard assessment

Complete separately for each materially different workplace, work group or remote/camp setting. A check mark alone is not an assessment; document evidence, people consulted and control effectiveness.

B1. Assessment metadata

B2. Risk inventory and action plan

Rate likelihood and consequence using the employer's approved risk matrix. Psychological, sexual and discriminatory harm must not be discounted because no physical injury occurred.

B3. Control hierarchy and sign-off

For every high or critical risk, document why elimination is not reasonably practicable before relying only on policy or training. Consider elimination/substitution of the triggering activity; engineering/physical/digital controls; staffing/work-design/administrative controls; training/supervision; and emergency/support measures. Identify residual risk communicated to workers and the minimum necessary threat information.

Approved controls and funding: [ ]
Unresolved joint/consultation issues and governing resolution process: [ ]
Next review date or earlier triggers: [ ]
Signatures/decision record: [ ]

Schedule C — Report / notice of occurrence form

Use of this form is optional unless law requires particular information. Accept oral, accessible-language, representative-assisted and alternative-format reports.

C1. Reporter and people involved

• Reporter name/contact (optional for a witness where law permits anonymous notice): [ ]
• Person allegedly affected / preferred safe contact: [ ]
• Person(s) whose conduct is at issue / role / employer, if known: [ ]
• Witnesses or people with relevant information: [ ]
• Representative, interpreter, support or accommodation requested: [ ]
• Is any normal reporting recipient involved or conflicted? [Yes/no/details]

C2. Occurrence

• Date(s), time(s), physical/virtual location(s) and platform(s): [ ]
• Exact words, actions, displays, messages, gestures, contact or threats, in chronological order: [ ]
• Why the conduct was unwelcome or its health/safety/work impact: [ ]
• Related protected characteristic, sexual conduct, violence or domestic/family violence concern, if the reporter chooses to identify it: [ ]
• Was anyone told the conduct was unwelcome? [Optional; a “no” does not invalidate the report]
• Prior related occurrences/reports and response: [ ]

C3. Evidence, safety and outcome sought

• Emails, chats, images, audio/video, documents, access/security records, notes or other evidence and where preserved: [ ]
• Immediate or continuing danger; weapons; stalking; self-harm; medical/first-aid concern; contact with police/security: [ ]
• Reprisal, evidence-loss, conflict, privacy, housing/transport or immigration/precarity concern: [ ]
• Interim measure, support, accommodation or communication preference requested: [ ]
• Resolution preference, recognizing the employer may still have a duty to investigate/correct: [ ]

Accuracy: I believe the information is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand the employer will share information only as necessary for safety, a fair process, corrective action or law and cannot promise absolute secrecy.
Signature / recorded oral confirmation / date: [ ]
Received by / date/time / channel / case number: [ ]

Schedule D — Recipient intake, safety and conflict checklist

Complete immediately and update whenever risk changes.

1. Jurisdiction and coverage: confirm governing law, workplace, worker status, former-worker rule and any sector-specific or collective-agreement process.
2. Emergency triage: imminent danger; medical/first aid; suicide/self-harm; sexual assault; child/vulnerable-person duty; weapon; stalking; domestic/family violence; police/security; serious-incident reporting; scene/evidence protection.
3. Conflict screen: recipient, investigator, decision-maker, counsel, representative, interpreter, senior leadership, family/community or reporting relationships. Record actual, potential and perceived conflicts and mitigation.
4. Acknowledgement: date due under law; actual date; policy/process/representation/external-right information provided; accessibility/language confirmed.
5. Evidence hold: identify custodians, platforms, auto-delete periods, CCTV/access retention, devices, notes, social media, work records and preservation owner. Preserve proportionately and lawfully; do not conduct overbroad surveillance.
6. Interim measures: risk addressed; party views considered; least prejudicial effective measure; pay/benefits/accommodation maintained; decision-maker/reasons; communication; 30-day review date.
7. Supports: EAP/medical/counselling/sexual-violence/community/culturally safe/union/legal/accommodation contacts offered without requiring a finding.
8. Process route: threshold review, required investigation, possible voluntary resolution, parallel criminal/regulatory/grievance process, privilege decision and statutory reporting.
9. Communications: safe channels, no-contact rules, status-update cadence, media/public-contact control where lawful, and no promise of exact discipline or absolute confidentiality.
10. Case plan: allegations/issues list, investigator/decision-maker, terms of reference, target dates, statutory deadline, review/report recipients and corrective-action owner.

Recipient signature/date: [ ]
Supervisor notification limited to need-to-know: [ ]
Next safety review: [ ]

Schedule E — Investigation terms of reference and mandatory protocol

E1. Appointment and independence

• Case number / appointing authority / governing policy and legislation: [ ]
• Investigator name, qualifications, role-specific legal/investigation training and secure contact: [ ]
• Written conflict declaration and continuing duty to disclose: [ ]
• Parties' input/selection process and any regulator order: [ ]
• Investigator decides facts and policy breach unless law/terms assign otherwise; employer decides discipline/corrective action.
• Legal privilege, if legitimately claimed, must be defined at the outset and not used to conceal a statutory report that must be disclosed.

E2. Allegations and scope

List each allegation separately: who; what; when/where; policy/statutory test; and whether retaliation, systemic failure, violence or protected-ground harassment is included. Scope changes require written reasons and notice sufficient for fairness. The investigator does not decide unrelated performance or credibility issues merely because they arise.

E3. Fair procedure

The investigator will:

1. provide each party a plain-language process explanation, allegations and a meaningful opportunity to participate;
2. arrange disability, trauma, language, cultural, scheduling and technology accommodations without compromising neutrality;
3. permit an appropriate union/other representative or support person, subject to non-interference and confidentiality;
4. interview separately, ask open and testing questions, obtain names/sources, and allow corrections to interview summaries;
5. collect relevant proportionate evidence and maintain an evidence log with source, date, authenticity and access history;
6. give the responding party sufficient particulars and a fair opportunity to answer;
7. put material adverse or contradictory evidence to the affected party before relying on it, while protecting safety and nonessential identity information;
8. assess relevance, reliability, consistency, plausibility, contemporaneous records, motive to misstate and corroboration without relying on myths about trauma, delayed reporting, disability, culture or demeanor;
9. apply the balance of probabilities unless governing law requires otherwise, decide each allegation separately and distinguish “not substantiated” from “false”; and
10. report facts, reasoning and recommendations within the governing deadline or documented enhanced target, with regular status updates.

No participant may secretly record an interview. The investigator may authorize recording with informed agreement, security controls and a retention plan. The employer will not require broad access to personal devices/accounts without lawful necessity and proportionality.

E4. Report structure

1. mandate, independence and legal/policy framework;
2. allegations and applicable tests;
3. procedure, participants, accommodation and limitations;
4. evidence considered and not obtained;
5. undisputed/material facts;
6. credibility and reliability analysis tied to evidence;
7. finding and reasons for each allegation;
8. retaliation, systemic risk and immediate safety findings;
9. corrective/preventive recommendations, owners or priorities where within mandate; and
10. appendices/evidence index, with redaction/version controls.

Target date / statutory final date / update cadence: [ ]
Required report copies and outcome notices: [ ]

Schedule F — Investigation quality and credibility worksheet

Do not use numerical scoring as a substitute for reasoning.

Quality checks:

• Were material contradictions put to the person affected?
• Were messages/records assessed in full context and authenticated sufficiently?
• Were trauma, disability, language, culture and power considered without stereotyping?
• Was demeanor given little or no weight unless specifically reliable and explained?
• Was each conclusion tied to evidence and the correct policy/legal definition at the time?
• Were intent and impact treated according to the applicable test?
• Were management-action exclusions examined for reasonableness, good faith and method?
• Were broader internal conduct standards kept distinct from statutory findings?
• Were exculpatory evidence and investigation limitations addressed?

Schedule G — Outcome notice templates

Adapt to the jurisdiction. Never use this template to disclose less than an express statutory outcome requirement.

G1. Notice to complainant / principal / allegedly affected worker

Private and confidential — Case [ ]
We investigated the report received on [date] concerning [brief neutral description]. The investigation was conducted by [role/name where appropriate] under [policy/law]. You had an opportunity to provide information and respond to material issues.

Result for each allegation: [substantiated / substantiated in part / not substantiated / unable to determine, only if policy/law permits, with the specific result description the jurisdiction requires]. [Concise reasons or findings summary required for a meaningful result notice, without unnecessary personal information.]

Corrective or preventive action taken or to be taken that may be disclosed: [specific measures relevant to the result; do not promise or reveal confidential discipline beyond what law requires]. The employer will monitor completion and retaliation. Report any concern to [channel]. Available supports/accommodations are [ ]. This notice does not restrict external legal rights listed in the policy.

G2. Notice to respondent / alleged harasser

Private and confidential — Case [ ]
Result for each allegation: [ ]. Corrective expectations/actions applicable to you: [ ]. Any discipline is communicated in a separate employment letter where appropriate. Retaliation, contact contrary to interim/final directions, and interference are prohibited. Questions about compliance go to [ ]. This notice does not restrict representation or legal rights.

G3. Closure acknowledgement

G4. Fixed reporting and outcome calendar

Schedule H — Corrective action and effectiveness tracker

Corrective action must address both individual conduct and enabling conditions. Possible indicators include repeat reports, affected-area climate, control use, training comprehension, turnover/absence themes, security events and completion audits. Do not measure success by “zero complaints” alone; under-reporting can produce that number.

Schedule I — Training standard and record

I1. Minimum curriculum

All-person training is workplace-specific and covers:

1. policy commitment, legal/internal definitions and reasonable-management boundary;
2. discriminatory, sexual, gender-based, personal, third-party and virtual harassment examples;
3. violence/domestic-family-violence overlap and emergency assistance;
4. workplace-specific hazards and controls;
5. reporting, alternate/independent channels, anonymous information and evidence preservation;
6. what happens after a report, interim measures, representation, investigation and outcomes;
7. confidentiality limits, lawful support/external reporting and prohibition on reprisal;
8. bystander options that do not require unsafe intervention;
9. accommodation, language, cultural and trauma-informed access; and
10. scenario practice and a documented comprehension check.

Supervisors/recipients receive additional training on duty to act without a formal complaint, emergency triage, domestic violence, conflict screening, intake, no promise of secrecy, neutral interim measures, evidence holds, procedural fairness, outcome communications, corrective action and record/reporting duties. Investigators meet the law-specific qualification rules.

I1A. Mandatory Northwest Territories training override

• Northwest Territories: apply this policy's training rule and any general OHS training duties. Treat any curriculum or timing that the policy labels as enhanced as an enhanced control rather than statutory wording.

I2. Record

Schedule J — Policy and program review record

Review trigger / legal deadline: [ ]
Participants and disagreements: [ ]
Approval / communication / retraining dates: [ ]
Next scheduled and event-triggered review rules: [ ]

Schedule K — Case record index and access protocol

Access is not granted merely because a person is a supervisor or executive. Every access/export is need-to-know, logged where practical, securely transmitted and limited to the minimum necessary. A privacy request, grievance, litigation hold, regulator order, police request or legal disclosure is routed to [privacy/legal lead]; no routine deletion occurs while a valid hold applies.

K1. Minimum Northwest Territories retention preset

Do not destroy records merely because a listed minimum expires. Apply the authorized disposition schedule, privacy minimization requirements and any litigation, grievance, regulator, workers' compensation or preservation hold.

Canada Policy Manual

This free template is published by Canada Policy Manual. To build and download a complete jurisdiction-specific workplace policy manual, create an account.