New training to give Halifax staff skills to safely stop harassment in city spaces

The Halifax Regional Municipality is taking a proactive approach to addressing harassment and potential violence in the community by providing bystander intervention training to its employees. This initiative comes after a recommendation from the Mass Casualty Commission following the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia.

The training program will be mandatory for all municipal staff, including temporary and short-term employees. Amy Brierley, a policy strategist involved in the initiative, emphasized the importance of empowering individuals to intervene in situations where they may have previously remained passive. The training aims to instill confidence in employees to take action, whether it be checking in on someone or simply offering support.

The program is still in development, with plans to roll it out to staff within the next year. Cong Chen, a community safety education co-ordinator with HRM, highlighted the goal of creating a cultural shift towards prevention rather than relying solely on emergency response teams. Front-facing city employees will be the first to receive the training, followed by office workers, volunteers, and eventually members of the public.

Bystander intervention training is seen as a crucial tool in preventing gender-based violence and creating a safer community. The Mass Casualty Commission recommended that such training should be mandatory in the Canadian school system, starting from primary school through Grade 12.

In Nova Scotia, bystander intervention training is already offered at post-secondary schools and some high schools. At the municipal level, the training is being developed as part of Halifax’s Safe City and Safe Public Spaces program, which aims to prevent sexual and gender-based violence in public spaces.

A study conducted in 2021 revealed that one in three women in Halifax had experienced unwanted sexual attention in public spaces. Lindsay Mullin, the program co-ordinator for the Safe City and Public Spaces program, emphasized the importance of bystander intervention training in creating a community where everyone looks out for each other.

Overall, the Halifax Regional Municipality’s initiative to provide bystander intervention training to its employees is a proactive step towards creating a safer and more caring community. This training will empower individuals to intervene in situations of harassment or potential violence, ultimately fostering a culture of support and prevention.