Vancoufur is not the place to start or continue disputes and we will not be expected to intervene in disputes originating outside our event and event spaces. Our events are gathering places where people can meet and share common interests. This is true for our digital spaces, as well as the physical convention itself. We will not be expected to referee personal matters between attendees that occured elsewhere.
Behaviour that violates our AUP, COC, or causes harm to our attendees, staff, or volunteers will not be tolerated, this includes the harassment or mistreatment of staff and/or volunteers, lawsuits, or anything that may harm or interfere with our event operations, physical, digital or reputational.
We are not law enforcement and do not have the resources or authority to resolve, punish, or investigate criminal complaints. If your complaint involves a crime, such as assault, sexual assault, sexual crimes against minors, criminal harassment, etc, please contact your local authorities.
That being said if there is an incident or person you wish to bring to our attention please read the following in detail. Please note that all formal complaints must be made via email outside of convention time. All reports are kept strictly confidental, and the complainant will not be notified of actions taken. Reports of individuals at con should be made as immediately as possible to Con Operatons.
Before/after CON
Our ability to deal with incidents before or after con is limited compared with our ability to deal with them at-con. This is why it is most important that people report them as soon as they occur at-con so we can resolve them as quickly as possible.
If there is a person of concern that you need to bring to our attention please do so via email. Please provide as much legal documention as possible, such as copies of peace bonds, court records, arrest records, conviction or probation documentation, news stories, etc that can corroborate your claim. Any digital logs must be full and complete. Incomplete screenshots of conversations will not be considered. Our AUP prohibits those convicted of certain crimes to attend, but BC/Canada does not have a public registry. If someone is bringing this to our attention, they must provide the relevant legal documentation to prove that the individual was convicted.
Social media callouts, or accusations in chats will not be considered official complaints and we will not act upon them. We ask that people with complaints please refrain from harrassing staff (including our social media staff or mods) or disrupting chats, and direct your conversation to our board email. General volunteers cannot handle bans or speak about bans, that includes our social media team, chat moderators, and other convention staff.
If you have a complaint, concern or issue with an attendee, please submit it with your supporting documentation to [email protected] or [email protected]
AT CON
There is much more that can be done about an incident at-con, than after the fact. It is essential however, that an attendee with the issue (victim) bring it to OPERATIONS immediately when the incident occurs. Do not wait. The longer you wait, often the less we can do. Also it is required that people directly involved in the incident be present to report it, we cannot accept reports on behalf of third parties.
Since Covid, many laws of BC have changed regarding Privacy and Liability. Due to the changes in the law, we cannot act on behalf of victims to enforce peacebonds, we can only support specifically the victim as they must be the ones to contact the authorities.
Operations and Rangers are the part of the staff that deal with security issues, and liaison with hotel security. Other staff members may not have the training or authority to deal with an issue. So it is absolutely imperative that you report your incident to Ops and Rangers.
If you do not have a peacebond, but have a concern that someone will be there and need a safety plan, please email [email protected] or come to ops upon arrival to discuss your situation with our Operations team.
When Reporting an incident
Ops and Rangers needs as much information as possible regarding an incident. Information required includes:
- Who: Who was involved? Names and Badge Numbers if possible. Names are required at the very least.
- When: When did it occur?
- Where: Where specifically did the incident happen?
- What: What does the incident entail? What specifically occurred, with as many facts as possible.
- Outcome: What do you want the staff at the con to do regarding the incident? Is it simply information that it happened? Do you need help/protection? Do you want us to assist with police or legal action? Please let us know what outcome you are looking for.