Guidelines for Business Conduct

Fundraising


Directors, employees, contractors and volunteers involved in fundraising activities shall adhere at all times to the Business Code of Conduct.

Behaviour


Directors, employees, contractors and volunteers shall adhere to and comply with laws, rules and regulations of each jurisdiction in which Crohn’s and Colitis Canada carries on its business. In particular, and without restricting the generality of the following:

  • safety and health – all rules of behaviour and maintenance must be followed in each working place to protect the safety and health of employees and visitors;
  • discrimination – discrimination is the unequal treatment of persons through practices that are either overtly discriminatory or that have the effect of being discriminatory. Each director, employee, contractor and volunteer must be dealt with in good faith and without harassment (as defined further on) or discrimination; merit and occupational skills shall be the determining criteria for hiring, advancement or discharge; there shall be no discrimination based on race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or record of offence for which a pardon has been granted;
  • harassment – harassment is engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct that is known, or ought reasonably to be known, to be unwelcome. This includes any action that is likely to cause discomfort, offence or humiliation to any person, including, without limitation, bullying or verbally abusive behaviour;
  • business propriety – no payment or entertainment which might be interpreted as a bribe or other form of inducement should be made or provided to or accepted from donors, suppliers, governmental officers or others for any reason; only gifts of an inexpensive and modest nature may be given or accepted.

Personal gain


No director, employee, contractor or volunteer should utilize his status or the information acquired by his position for personal gain, whether by seeking, accepting or extending gifts, payment or privileges of any sort from or attempting to influence the behaviour of persons or organizations doing or attempting to do business with Crohn's and Colitis Canada, or otherwise. In addition, any gift must comply with the guidelines detailed in Board policy D.5.1 Gift Acceptance Policy.

Conflicts of interest


The onus is on each director and employee to anticipate and to avoid conflicts of interest with Crohn's and Colitis Canada. No director or employee shall have any interest, direct or indirect, in the form of financial investment, of acting as an officer, director or shareholder or of providing other forms of support, including the expenditure of time, in any entity which might:

  • produce personal gain for the director or employee at the expense of Crohn's and Colitis Canada;
  • detract from the time and energy which such director or employee ought to devote to his duties on behalf of Crohn's and Colitis Canada;
  • cause embarrassment to Crohn's and Colitis Canada;
  • leave the director or employee open to pressure that might affect the interests of Crohn's and Colitis Canada.
In all matters of conflict of interest, these guidelines apply to a director or employee’s near relatives; namely, spouse, dependent children and dependent parents.

Maintenance of Crohn's and Colitis Canada’s assets, reputation and business information


Each director, employee, contractor and volunteer shall act prudently and take reasonable care to protect the physical assets of Crohn's and Colitis Canada, as well as its non-physical assets such as trademarks, patents and confidential and proprietary information.

Policy issues


Only the Board Chair or the CEO, or a person authorized by one of them, is entitled to make any public comment or statement concerning Crohn's and Colitis Canada policy.

  • Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn's and colitis in the world.
  • 1 in 140 Canadians lives with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Families new to Canada are developing these diseases for the first time.
  • Incidence of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995.
  • People are most commonly diagnosed before age 30.

Other Areas of Interest