Volunteer

The Centre will engage volunteers to enrich and complement essential programs according to its mandate. The selection and engagement of volunteers will be conducted in keeping with specific operational procedures, as revised from time to time.

Working relations with volunteers are governed by applicable WCC policies, including but not limited to the Personnel Policy, Harassment Prevention Policy, etc. The relevant provisions of other legislation such as the Official Languages Act, the Canadian Labour Code, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act also apply, as does the Centre’s health and safety regulations, and/or other agreements.

As is the case for employees, volunteers are expected to adhere to the same standards of professionalism, along with the terms of the Centre’s Code of Conduct. They are also subject to a personnel security screening and background check before the commencement of their engagement.

Volunteers are supervised by WCC staff, and do not have the authority to represent the Centre, make contracts for the Centre or make any other commitment on its behalf, without the written consent of the Executive Director. Letters and other communications written by volunteers on the Centre’s behalf must be authorized by a WCC employee of appropriate seniority and authority.

Volunteers are not a substitute for employees and the WCC does not recruit volunteers to displace employees. A volunteer accepting full or part time paid employment in the Centre shall not be expected to continue his/her voluntary work. The WCC accepts the services of its own staff as volunteers only if the voluntary tasks are offered without coercion, involve assignments entirely outside the scope of the normal employment duties of the staff concerned, and are provided outside their usual working hours.

The Centre maintains insurance for those who are registered as volunteers with the WCC Human Resources Department. They are insured only for acts within the scope of their activities for the Centre and at the Centre’s direction. The Centre assumes no responsibility for any loss or injury incurred by a volunteer where said loss or injury is incurred through his/her own negligence or through disregard of the Centre’s stated safety and security requirements.

All written documents, study results, concepts and products developed for the Centre by a volunteer as part of their volunteer assignment are the property of the Centre, unless otherwise stated in a written agreement between the volunteer and the WCC.

The WCC appreciates and will publicly acknowledge the valuable services provided by volunteers.