Reporting Harassment

What can you expect when you report harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence?

There are many ways to report harassment to ACTRA. You can:

  • Call the office during business hours (416-928-2278 or 1-877-913-2278)
  • Call HAVEN Helpline 24/7/365 (1-855-201-7823)
  • Use HAVEN Helpline’s associated Lifeworks App to call or chat
  • Fill in an Online Harassment Report Form

If you call the office during business hours

your call will be answered by reception. You will be asked if the incident(s) happened on a production. If so, you will be directed to the business representative assigned to that production. If your incident was not related to a specific production, your call with be directed to a senior staff person (e.g. Executive Director, Director, or Special Advisor).

If you call HAVEN Helpline

your call will be answered by a call service operated by LifeWorks. You will be auto-prompted to select: your union affiliation, your Branch, and the reason for your call.

You will then be transferred to a professional support staff person who will ask you to provide:

  • Your contact information (name, phone and/or email)
  • The province in which the incident took place
  • Name of the production where the incident took place
  • Brief outline of what happened

With your permission, your information will be forwarded to the appropriate ACTRA branch office. During your call, you can be immediately referred to counselling or set up a counselling appointment for a later date.

What happens when ACTRA receives your call or the incident report from HAVEN?

An ACTRA representative will speak with you immediately or arrange for a confidential phone interview.

We will ask about what happened; if there are witnesses that we should contact; and if you have other evidence such as documents, text messages, photos, or emails that you can send us.

If we are able, we will advise you of the options available to you (e.g., filing a grievance, filing a complaint under our anti-harassment policy, or initiating an investigation under the discipline process). There may be many different options available to you.

We will ask you what you would like us to do. We can advise you on what we would like to do on your behalf.

We will NOT disclose the information you share, act on what you tell us, or disclose your identity without your permission. You may choose not to take it further if you wish.

What if I want to report anonymously?

Our ability to act on the information may be limited should you choose to report anonymously. For example:

  • There isn’t enough information for us to go on
  • We can’t take it forward because there is no one to substantiate the allegation (ie. the person denies it happened and we have no recourse)

Additionally, we won’t be able to follow up with you and tell you what we’re doing, because we won’t know who you are.

Members are protected from reprisal. We won’t disclose your identity or act on this information without first talking to you and getting your permission. CALL NOW

Non-emergency Situations

Most problems on set can be resolved calmly by talking with production personnel. In the event of a disagreement, please do NOT hold up production. Make your point and pass the problem along to your agent. If an ACTRA Toronto Business Representative or On-Set Liaison Officer (OSLO) is on set, let him/her know.

1. Upgrades, Cancellations, Postponements and Other Violations

There are many ways to report workplace incidents to ACTRA. You can:

  • Call the office during business hours (416-928-2278 or 1-877-913-2278)
  • Call HAVEN Helpline 24/7/365 (1-855-201-7823)
  • Use HAVEN Helpline’s associated Lifeworks App to call or chat
  • Fill in an online Online Harassment Report Form (for harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence)
  • Independent Production Agreement (IPA):Your agent should deal with upgrades, cancellations, postponements and other violations of the IPA. If your agent is unable to resolve the situation or requires assistance, your agent will contact the ACTRA Toronto IPA Business Representative in charge of the production. Please make production aware on set that your performance category should be upgraded and that you note this on your contract or voucher. You must notify ACTRA about a breach of the IPA within 30 days of the violation to pursue restitution.
  • National Commercial Agreement (NCA):Contact an ACTRA Toronto Commercial Business Representative for situations involving cancellations, upgrades, interpretations or agreement violations. Upgrades are rare and depend on the final edit of the commercial. You must notify ACTRA about a breach of the NCA within 30 days of the violation to pursue restitution.
2. Getting Paid
If you call the office during business hours, your call will be answered by reception. You will be asked if the incident(s) happened on a production. If so, you will be directed to the business representative assigned to that production. If your incident was not related to a specific production, your call with be directed to a senior staff person (e.g. Executive Director, Director, or Special Advisor). If you call the HAVEN Helpline, your call will be answered by a call service operated by Morneau Shepell. You will be auto-prompted to select: your union affiliation, your Branch, and the reason for your call. You will then be transferred to a professional support staff person who will ask you to provide:
  • Your contact information (name, phone and/or email)
  • The province in which the incident took place
  • Name of the production where the incident took place
  • Brief outline of what happened
With your permission, your information will be forwarded to the appropriate ACTRA branch office. During your call, you can be immediately referred to counselling or set up a counselling appointment for a later date.
3. Signing Out
Under the IPA:Make sure all information on your voucher or work report is complete and correctly filled out, including the times you worked, meal breaks, etc. Mark your voucher or work report if you had an upgrade on set and get a contract for the upgrade. Make sure your HST/GST number (if you have one) is correctly written on your contract. If the work report is incorrect, do not initial it; for a voucher, check off “disagree”. Notify your agent and the ACTRA Toronto IPA Business Representative immediately. Keep a copy of your voucher. It is your recorded proof of work. Also keep a record of your time worked. Under the NCA: Make sure all information on your engagement contract is complete and correctly filled out, including the times you worked, meal breaks, etc. If you had an upgrade on set, mark it on your contract. Make sure your HST/GST number (if you have one) is correctly written on your contract. If items are incorrect, check off “disagree”, and notify a Commercial Business Representative. Mail ACTRA’s copy of the contract and keep a copy for yourself. This is your record of work. Read our “Standing Up For You: ACTRA Toronto Business Representatives” factsheet (pdf) for more information

Be Clear About the Facts:

When speaking with an ACTRA Toronto Business Representative, relate all relevant information, including:

  • Your name
  • Your ACTRA number
  • Agent name
  • Production name and location
  • Date and time of the call
  • Nature of the problem

The Business Representative will not reveal your name to the production as the source of the complaint. Keep a written record of the incident.