WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Shocked but not surprised.

That was a common reaction at a meeting of reforestation contractors in Prince George last month when they heard a litany of stories about sexual harassment and assault in tree planting camps.

含羞草研究社淚t is in remote areas where young people are working and sleeping and partying together. I don含羞草研究社檛 think anybody was surprised,含羞草研究社� says Airika Owen of the Northern Society for Domestic Peace, the Smithers organization that collected the stories and presented it to the meeting.

含羞草研究社淏ut I think people were overwhelmed and sad to see how many stories we were getting.含羞草研究社�

Owen has been teaching sexual safety workshops in tree planting camps for two years. Last year she published an online survey asking tree planters whether they had witnessed or experienced sexual harassment in camp, and asked them to share the story if they wished.

So far she has received a flood of responses, and over 70 of them are stories of serious incidents.

含羞草研究社淒uring my second year of planting I was raped. It took me a long time to tell anyone, took two years to tell management,含羞草研究社� reads one response. 含羞草研究社淚 tried to pretend it didn含羞草研究社檛 happen, tried to shrug it off because that is the mentality around planting, to shut up and plant. In looking back I let a lot of things slide before the actual event because I did not want to make a scene.含羞草研究社�

Owen says most of the stories are of that nature, not just sexist jokes but 含羞草研究社渟cary fear-based incidents that affected them deeply.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚 was raped and management did nothing,含羞草研究社� reads another. 含羞草研究社淭hey continued to employ the man and even put me in a living situation with two men I did not know after the incident. I was slandered and bullied by other employees.含羞草研究社�

Some stories were about sexist camp culture. In one reported situation, there were no shower curtains in the camp so the women bought curtains on their day off and put them up. Management took them down again because 含羞草研究社渢hat was not the vibe they wanted in the camp.含羞草研究社�

Contractors含羞草研究社� association responds

John Betts, president of the Western Forestry Contractors含羞草研究社� Association and a West Kootenay resident, says they have been aware of the problem for several years and have been working to address it, partly through inviting Owen含羞草研究社檚 staff into their camps to give workshops.

含羞草研究社淭he Northern Society for Domestic Peace含羞草研究社檚 work in our camps is part of that effort as a resource for employers and workers,含羞草研究社� he told the Star in an email.

含羞草研究社淩apes and assaults are not rampant across the sector,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淯nfortunately, this kind of violence has occurred, which is tragic and distressing for the victims who need our support.含羞草研究社�

He said many member companies don含羞草研究社檛 have problems with sexual harassment, and things are improving as his association develops guidelines on what a safe camp or workplace looks like and educates companies.

Learning bystander intervention techniques

Owen says planters are very open to her workshops 含羞草研究社渆ven though it is at the end of their day and they are exhausted and it is often rainy and muddy and mosquito infested. They are not being paid to sit through it. It含羞草研究社檚 not the ideal delivery model for training. But they have been super engaged, super polite, happy to have us there.含羞草研究社�

She says the planters含羞草研究社� biggest need is a deeper awareness of the meaning of consent, as in the rest of society.

They also need to learn about bystander intervention techniques.

含羞草研究社淭hat means training people to recognize a situation that is unfolding in a bad direction before it gets to someone being assaulted in their tent.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社楽uch a strong sense of belonging含羞草研究社�

Nina Sylvester of Nelson has worked in treeplanting camps in B.C. and Alberta for seven years and for three of those years ran crews of up to 18 people.

She says the stories coming out of the survey are believable and she含羞草研究社檚 happy it含羞草研究社檚 being talked about because in the camps it is possible to be oblivious to it, as she was in her early years of planting.

含羞草研究社淣ow that I look back with a different lens and perspective, it seems so obvious. But when you are in that insular world outside of your regular life, without a control or standard to reference what is happening, you don含羞草研究社檛 see it.含羞草研究社�

Although many women work as planters, she says, the supervisors are mostly men, and she含羞草研究社檚 seen lots of harassment in camps go unaddressed.

The youth and inexperience of many planters is a factor, she says.

含羞草研究社淚 was 19 [when I started], so it is like a coming-of-age experience. You enter into this community that you are immediately and tightly involved with. You are looking around and saying 含羞草研究社極kay, these are the rules in this society,含羞草研究社� and you get accustomed to them. There is such a strong sense of belonging. It is a total bubble, completely removed from your regular life, worlds away.含羞草研究社�

Sylvester says change has to start with the owners of the companies, who should be taking training.

含羞草研究社淎 lot of these owners, predominantly male, have owned these companies for decades in different cultural times. They should go through education and then not only adopt it but incorporate it and believe it.含羞草研究社�

Creating a respectful workplace

Sylvester is glad to see a trend toward education on consent, harassment, and inclusivity for treeplanters such as recent work by Caitlin Burge of Nelson, who works for Next Generation Reforestation, based in Alberta, a company that employs up to 200 people in camps.

Burge, who has 14 years of planting experience, is developing policies and training for treeplanters and their managers in her company.

The policies are behaviour guidelines. Employees will hear about them before they start with the company.

So if supervisors want to confront a sexual safety issue on the job they can say 含羞草研究社淭his is not personal. It is company policy.含羞草研究社�

Employees will be told that sexual consent is defined as 含羞草研究社渋nformed and enthusiastic consent.含羞草研究社�

All employees will hear about the company含羞草研究社檚 expectations regarding a variety of things including health and safety, emergency response procedures, drugs and alcohol, protocols for working alone, and interactions with wildlife.

含羞草研究社淏ut it starts out with respectful workplace because that frames everything, and that is our biggest priority right now. 含羞草研究社�

Creating a respectful workplace includes sexual safety and mental health.

An online orientation will be followed up on by project managers in the camps who will be trained as trainers in sexual safety, peer support, and conflict resolution.

含羞草研究社淲e need to move all those things forward at once in order to create the culture that is comfortable,含羞草研究社� Burge says. 含羞草研究社淲e have not had open conversations about what it means to be sexually respectful or sexually safe.含羞草研究社�

She says the three core values of this work are clarity, accountability, and wellness.

A duty of care

John Betts of the contractor含羞草研究社檚 association say含羞草研究社檚 he含羞草研究社檚 on board. He says tree planting has been a very important job for young women.

含羞草研究社淭hey have grown more independent, grown stronger, made money and made friends,含羞草研究社� he says. 含羞草研究社淲e are proud of that record. We are working to eliminate this awful element we have with some camps and crews and the suffering it can create.

含羞草研究社淲e have a higher standard of care because of the age of our workforce and the remoteness of much of the workplaces. We have a duty of care.含羞草研究社�

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. See the provided by . You can also call or for information and support.

bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com
Like us on and follow us on