Vancouver launches pilot project to address sexual harassment at bars

The City of Vancouver has launched a pilot project to address sexual violence in the hospitality and service industries.

The Last Call Pilot Project — led by the non-profit Good Night Out — will work with six establishments to create a more inclusive night-life space for women and gender-diverse people.

“We want to see an industry that is thriving and accessible and safe for people to work and socialize in,” said Stacey Forrester, the co-founder and education director of Good Night Out Vancouver.

Six establishments throughout the city, including Donnellan's Irish Pub, Greta and Parallel 49 Brewing Company, will be part of it.

Forrester told CTV News that over the next year, the businesses will receive training to address gender-based violence as well as access to an app called #NotMe to report harassment anonymously.

“The awareness that an establishment cares about your safety in a really deep and meaningful way beyond you know, a poster, in a way that is really baked into the culture from both a worker perspective and a customer perspective — having it really publicly known what their commitments are, I think will help draw people to these spaces,” Forrester said.

In a news release, Tracey Martin, the people and culture manager of Parallel 49 Brewing Company, said the training provided by Good Night Out empowers staff to create a culture of safety and respect.

“By teaching and practicing bystander intervention, they also equip staff with the skills needed to recognize and respond to potentially dangerous situations, helping to ensure that our brewery is a safe space for everyone who walks through the door,” Martin said in the release.

Forrester said the idea for the project came a few years ago when some members of Vancouver's hospitality industry spoke publicly about their experiences of sexual assault, prompting the city to look at what it could do.

Once the year-long project finishes next March, Forrester is hoping it will be replicated or extended.

“We're really hoping to model for the rest of the city and other municipalities that addressing gender-based and sexualized violence, it takes a community approach,” she said.