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Equal Opportunity Policy

RCBA is committed to ensuring that equity and access is incorporated across all aspects of its activities. In doing so, it acknowledges and adopts the following foundation principle from the Canadian Sport Policy:  

"Sport is based on equity and access. Sport is welcoming and inclusive, offering an opportunity to participate without regard to age, gender, race, language, sexual orientation, disability, geography, or economic circumstances. Participants have access to affordable sport opportunities that are appropriate to the level of activity chosen and provide opportunities for personal achievement."

RCBA Equal Opportunity Policy:

  1. Acknowledges that sport equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognizing inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society.  
  2. Supports equity and access for underrepresented groups that have been identified by Sport Canada such as Women, Indigenous Peoples and People with Disabilities.  
  3. Respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of their role (player, coach, official and volunteer), regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status.  
  4. Will ensure that the achievement of equal opportunities is a key consideration when developing, updating or delivering RCBA programs, policies and projects. 
  5. Will ensure that the concerns and needs of all people (including under-represented groups) are identified, promoted and supported. 
  6. Will ensure that its governance structure encourages and promotes the full and equal participation of all people.  
  7. Is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, harassment and abuse.  
  8. Is committed to everyone having a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality of opportunity.  
  9. Will deal with any incidence of discriminatory behaviour according to the Code of Conduct policy. 

Fair Play Policy

The RCBA, through its Board of Directors, is committed to providing a sport and work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. This Fair Play policy is consistent with the leagues Codes of Conduct for Players, Parents, Coaches and Referees, Discipline Policy, Playing Time Policy and Sportsmanship Program. 

RCBA Playing Time Policy:

Substitution Rules for Grade 4-12 Article 14 
14.1 Substitutions will be made approximately  every four minutes.  The scorekeeper will stop the clock and signal the referee of the upcoming shift change. The referee will make the final decision as to when the play shall stop. The game may continue in order to complete the scoring opportunity, a fast break or an established possession.  
14.1.1 All players attending a regular season and/or play-off  game must have equal playing time. There are exceptions for Grade 7 & 8 Division Pool 1 see 18.1. The substitution rotation recognizing equal playing time would continue into any overtime period.  Player substitution for each shift will be recorded on the appropriate sheet, 
14.1.2 Teams will practice a continuous rotation of players or a rolling substitution. In other words, players on a team should play a shift, and then sit a shift, for example the first, third, fifth and seventh shifts, while sitting the second, fourth sixth and eighth shifts. (see  examples on  the rotation sheet provided in the coaches manual) 
Exception to this may occur when: 
- The player roster for a game are short numbered, meaning that a double or triple shift may occur due to shortage of players for a start of a game or may be short due to players being fouled out or injured in a game. 
- A player shall play in every other shift unless a team has more than 10 players (8 players for grade 4).             
- When a team has exactly 2 complete lines (10 players in grade 5- 12 and 8 players in grade 4) the lines may be changed at half time. 
- When a player misses 2 consecutive practices the coach may withdraw playing privileges for the first half for the first infraction and a full game for subsequent infractions.  (grade 5 - 12 only) 
A few points of clarification: 
a) Shifts must be balanced in each half. Therefore, a player should be playing, for example two shifts in each half rather than one and three in the halves respectively.  
b) With the odd exception of situations where a team has six or seven players, (five or six for grade 4) no player should have a triple shift (including a first shift in the second half). 
c)  If an injury occurs to a player with less than 2 minutes remaining in the shift, the player who is injured would have that count as a shift. If the injury occurs with more than 2 minutes remaining in the shift the player put in would have his/her substituted shift count as a rotation. 
d)  If the coach has erred in putting in a player in the wrong rotation,  the shift counts as one of his/her substitutions, and jeopardizes the possibility of using that player later, due to balanced playing time. 
e) A player who arrives late to the game will be placed into the equal play rotation and will have equal playing time in relation to the total number of shifts remaining in the game. The player may not be able to 'make up' shifts that he/she has missed. 
f)  Overtime should be a continuation of the rotation scheme.   
18.1 See Substitution rules article 14.  Substitution exception: In Grade 7 & 8 Pool 1 the final 8 minute quarter is free substitution by the coach, with all players playing some time in the 4th quarter. 

Click here to view more infomation on our Sportsmanship Program!

The RCBA supports and promotes the principle that all individuals have the right to be treated fairly and deserve mutual respect and dignity. Our goal is to provide a harassment free environment that is supportive of the productivity, the dignity and self-esteem of every board member, contractor, volunteer, member and employee by promoting tolerance, understanding and respect. 

All people with whom the RCBA has business relations, whether customers, suppliers, employees, board members, contractors or volunteers, they are to be treated in a dignified and understanding manner. Discrimination or harassment of any kind will not be practiced. 

 Definitions: 

“Harassment” means any objectionable conduct, comment or display by a person that is directed at another individual that demeans or undermines the dignity or worth of that other individual on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, disability, physical size or weight, age, nationality, ancestry or place of origin. 

Harassment constitutes a threat to the health and safety of an individual and has the effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance or creating a hostile, “poisoned” environment. 

 “Discriminatory action” means any action or threat of action by an employer that does or would adversely affect a worker with respect to any terms or conditions of employment or opportunity for promotion, and includes dismissal, lay-off, suspension, demotion, or transfer of a worker, discontinuation or elimination of a job, change of a job location, reduction in wages, change in hours of work, reprimand, coercion, intimidation or the imposition of any discipline or other penalty. 

Complainant Procedures 

The following steps are in place to resolve incidents of alleged harassment. This policy will be administered by management in the normal fashion. All complainants of harassment will be taken seriously. The rights of all concerned will be respected. 

 A person who experiences harassment is encouraged to make it known to the harasser that the behaviour is unwelcome, offensive and contrary to this policy. If confronting the harasser is not possible, or if after confronting the harasser the harassment continued, the complainant should seek the advice of the RCBA harassment officer. The current RCBA harassment officer is our Executive Director: rcbaadmin@sasktel.net 

 The officer shall inform the complainant of: 

  • The options for pursuing an information resolution of his/her complaint; 
  • The right to lay a written formal complaint under this policy when an informal resolution is inappropriate or not feasible; 
  • The confidentiality provisions of this policy; 
  • The right to be represented by a person of choice (including legal counsel) at any stage in the complaint process; 
  • The right to withdraw from any further action in connection with the complainant at any stage; and 
  • Other avenues of recourse, including the right to file a complaint with a human right commission or, where appropriate, to contact the police to have them lay a formal charge under the Criminal Code of Canada. There are four possible outcomes to this initial meeting of complainant and officer: 
  1. The complainant and officer agree that the conduct does not constitute harassment. 
  1. The complainant brings evidence of harassment and chooses to pursue an informal resolution of the complaint. 
  1. The complaint brings evidence of harassment and decides to lay a formal written complaint. 
  1. The complainant brings evidence of harassment but does not wish to lay a formal complaint. Examples of behavior that may result in allegations of harassment are:  
  • Abusive, offensive or unwelcome behavior as perceived to influence decisions pertaining to employment. 
  • Verbal abuse or threats. 
  • Unwelcome jokes, innuendoes or taunting about a person’s body. 
  • Offensive gestures or facial expressions, humiliating, insulting or intimidating behavior associated with sexuality. 
  • Unnecessary physical contact such as patting or pinching. 
  • Unwelcome indirect or explicit invitations to engage in behavior of a sexual nature. 
  • Indecent exposure or sexual assault. 
  • Any behavior or comments of a sexually oriented nature that a reasonable person would understand as unwelcome or offensive. 
  • Firing or demotion of a staff member because the employee has refused a sexual proposition. Every board member, contractor, volunteer and employee of the RCBA will receive education about this policy and be aware of the different forms of harassment and what procedures to follow.

The following are guidelines for preventing harassment in the workplace:   

Prevention Strategies 

  • The above list is not intended to be exhaustive. 
  • Take responsibility for your own actions and behaviors – ensure that they are respectful. 
  • When in doubt, don’t say it, don’t do it. Ask if it is alright. 
  • If your behavior is unwanted, stop the behavior. 
  • Don’t assume that friendliness equals sexual interest. 
  • Don’t assume that lack of comments means people are not offended. 
  • If you see others engaging in offensive behavior, suggest they stop it. 

To see how our Coaches are instructed to resolve conflict, Click Here