Dear fellow members,

Most businesses and organizations now have codes of conduct to back up the behavioural expectations of how we should all work and play together in a caring society. The BCPA is now ready to go forward with a Code of Conduct designed by us and for us. This was prompted last spring by a member who shared some concerns about behaviours we would prefer not to experience in and around our association and its activities. The Code of Conduct applies to all of us whether we are interacting with others in person or online. Please read it, talk about it, and share your thoughts with us if you wish. All of us will sign it as part of our responsibility to the association and one another. As the 2024-25 membership renewal will begin October 1, we feel this is a good time to present this code and have all of us begin signing our agreement.

Code of Conduct and Ethics

British Columbia Pipers’ Association

1. Introduction and Definitions

The Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the British Columbia Pipers’ Association (“BCPA”) has adopted this Code of Conduct and Ethics (the “Code”) in order to:

1. promote integrity, honesty, ethical conduct and acceptable behavior; and
2. deter wrongdoing.

Definitions:

The BCPA is essentially a volunteer-driven organization consisting of the following types of roles:

1. Representatives are dues-paying individuals and have come forth to assume leadership roles within the BCPA.  This group consists of Board Members (aka, Directors), and Committee/Sub-committee Chairs. 
2. Members are dues-paying individuals or groups that have joined the BCPA in order to participate in various activities sponsored or supported by BCPA.  In this category are individuals, bands and those who hold family memberships (covering participating members, parents and siblings).
3. Volunteers and Special Status consists of individuals that are not dues-paying individuals and have come forth to fulfill specific roles and tasks.  Chief Steward, Competition Secretary and Stewards for the adjudicators can perform their tasks without being members.  Certain privileges and titles have been granted to select individuals (e.g., Life Member, Honorary, etc.) that have accomplished exceptional achievements on behalf of and to the benefit of the BCPA.
4. External Expertise and Services refers to individuals fulfilling temporary roles and/or services and may/may not be engaged on a repetitive basis.  Adjudica-tors may be considered as external experts.  Temporary contractors, such as those engaged for IT services, CMP (Competition Management Program), website, etc. would be assigned to this category.  These individuals typically receive a fee for their work and services.

The above-captioned and defined sub-groups constitute the public face of the BCPA and this Code impacts each of them on an equal basis.  Collectively, and for the purposes of this Code, they will be referred to as “Representatives”.  All Representatives of the BCPA are required to be familiar with the Code, comply with its provisions and report any suspected violations as described below in Section 6. 

• Compliance
  • Representatives of the BCPA should comply, both in letter and spirit, with all applicable laws, rules and regulations within British Columbia.
  • Although not all Representatives are expected to know the details of all applicable laws, rules and regulations, it is important to know enough to determine when to seek advice from appropriate personnel.  Questions about compliance should be addressed and referred to BCPA Honorary Legal Counsel. 

• Confidentiality
  • All Representatives shall maintain confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the BCPA, except when disclosure is expressly authorized or legally required.  Confidential information includes all non-public information (regard-less of its source) that Representatives may receive by their nature of being involved with the BCPA. The obligation to maintain the confidentiality of infor-mation remains even after the Representative ceases to be part of the BCPA.

• Human Rights in the Organization
  • The BCPA is committed to providing space free of harassment, violence and discrimination. The Representatives are expected to foster a respectful space that adheres to requirements of applicable human rights law and related legislation.
  • The BCPA will not tolerate acts of discrimination based on age, ancestry, color, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, creed, disability, family states, marital status, gender, sex, sexual orientation or any other ground of discrimination prohibited by law.   

• Conduct

Representatives are expected to:

1. Portray a positive attitude towards the organization;
2. Conduct themselves professionally;
3. Use appropriate language during performance of their duties;
4. Treat others with respect and courtesy;
5. Not engage in bullying, harassment or disrespectful behavior;
6. Be accountable and responsible for their actions;
7. Model behavior in accordance with the principles of this BCPA Policy;
8. Ensure the public’s confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity, and impartiality of the BCPA and its Representatives;
9. Foster an environment that actively promotes Indigenous-specific Anti-Racism and Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility; and,
10. Foster an environment that contributes to an anti-racist, inclusive and equitable organization. 

• Reporting and Enforcement
  • Reporting and Investigation of Violations
    • Actions prohibited by this Code must be reported to the Board.
    • After receiving a report of an alleged prohibited action, the Board must take all appropriate actions necessary to investigate.
    • All Representatives are expected to cooperate in any internal investi-gation of misconduct. 
  • Enforcement 
    • The Board must ensure prompt and consistent action against violations of this Code.
    • Upon determining that there has been a violation of this Code, the Board of Directors will take such preventative or disciplinary action as it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, removal and/or denial of membership and, in the event of criminal conduct or other serious violations of law, notification to appropriate governmental authorities. 

• Prohibition on Retaliation
  • The BCPA does not tolerate acts of retaliation, including removing of membership, discrimination, harassment, suspension or threats against any Representative who makes a good faith report of known or suspected acts of misconduct or other violations of this Code.

• Amendment
  • The Board may, from time to time, amend the Code.

• Administration of this Code

The BCPA Board and the President are responsible for the administration of this Code.  If a Representative has any concerns about the Code generally or any questions regarding the reporting or violations of the Code, they may contact president@bcpipers.org.  

The BCPA expressly reserves the right to change, modify or delete portions of this Code without notice. 

Download Code of Conduct