Alberta's OHS legislation requires employers to have a harassment and violence prevention plan. If your policy hasn't been updated since Bill 30 came into force, it may not meet the current legal standard.
Harassment has been front and centre of media headlines since various celebrities, including Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, have been publicly accused of sexual harassment in recent months. So it’s no surprise that employees everywhere are making their personal experiences with workplace harassment public.
Even our own City of Edmonton has had an overwhelming amount of harassment and discrimination complaints within its own departments. City employees have taken their complaints and made them public saying that “bullying, harassment and discrimination are creating pockets of toxic working conditions that are not being investigated and punished appropriately.”
A survey performed last fall showed that one in five workers have reported some form of workplace harassment within the city of Edmonton departments! The city officials have refused to release the details of the survey saying that it “is too sensitive” as it included employee names and information but they have promised that workplace harassment data details will be released by mid-January 2018.
City officials have suspended their internal complaints process and a St Albert based mediator has been appointed to handle all employee concerns until an external firm can be hired to manage and take on the entire project. The city council’s executive committee has been requested to approve a whopping $2.5 million dollar contract to assist in investigating complaints and develop a comprehensive and fair harassment and discrimination complaints process. Given the current state of affairs, it will be money well spent.
The city Manager, Linda Cochrane, has publicly addressed the workers concerns and has issued an apology to the city employees that have experienced workplace harassment. “To the staff who came forward in obvious pain, I am sorry,” Cochrane said. “We will work hard until we get this right.”
Some companies are even taking a proactive step towards planning holiday parties to prevent harassment happening during events that are typically served with alcohol. A few employers are sending out emails to their employees outlining the “expectation for good behaviour” at the event, as well as eliminating an open bar in favour of limited drink tickets. Some companies are even going as far as to throw a more sedate Christmas lunch instead of an evening party.
As of March 31, 2025, Alberta OHS Code Part 27 mandates that all employers develop and implement a consolidated violence and harassment prevention plan addressing workplace harassment. However, The legislative changes requiring workplace harassment policies were enacted and came into force on March 31, 2025, under Alberta OHS Code Part 27. Under current law, employers must investigate complaints as part of their consolidated violence and harassment prevention plan. Workers retain their right to report unsafe conditions or violations to Alberta OHS, but there is no formal 'second complaint' process mandated.
All Albertans deserve a work environment that is free of harassment, discrimination and bullying and the physical, emotional, and psychological damages it inflicts. Identifying workplace harassment as a safety hazard/unsafe condition is one of the first steps towards creating a safe and healthy workplace for all employees.
If your company would like assistance in developing a Workplace Harassment Policy, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Safety Ahead!
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Written by
Safety Ahead Team
Alberta-based safety consultants with decades of field experience — COR auditors, OHS advisors, and WCB specialists working with employers across the province.
About Safety AheadWe help Alberta employers build seasonal safety plans and emergency response procedures that actually get followed in the field — not just filed in a binder.
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