Community standards · read before joiningBelonging is the standard.
Runs, regroups, coffee and club messages should remain welcoming and low-pressure. These standards explain what Devon Deer expects, what happens when a boundary is crossed and why a private relationship is different from conduct that affects the herd.
The promise before the policy
You do not have to earn your place in the herd.
Joining a run, having coffee, following the club or being friendly is never consent to romantic or sexual attention. You can arrive alone, set a boundary and keep participating without owing anyone an explanation.
The shared standard
Where these standards apply
They apply at runs, regroups, coffee, club activities, club-managed messages and accounts, and to club-connected conduct that affects another person’s safety, dignity or ability to participate.
01Respect, dignity and consent
Respect boundaries communicated in words or behaviour. Consent must be freely given, specific and ongoing; it can be withdrawn at any time. A yes to coffee, a date, a message, a photo or one kind of physical contact is not consent to anything else. A person who is too impaired to choose freely cannot consent. Harassment, bullying, discriminatory or degrading comments, unwanted touching, sexual comments, intrusive questions, persistent messages, unwanted following and pressure do not belong here. Silence, hesitation, a changed subject or no response is not a yes.
02No retaliation
No one may be threatened, harassed, excluded from participation, stripped of a role or targeted through rumours, unwanted disclosure of identity, relationship or intimate information, or group pressure because they declined or ended a relationship, set a boundary, raised a good-faith concern, supported someone or participated in a response, even if no breach is ultimately found. Choosing personal distance is not retaliation; using club access, roles or social pressure to punish someone is. Seeking confidential support, legal advice, counselling, medical care or help from an authority is not ‘recruiting sides.’
03A role is never leverage
A Herd Leader, Run Host, fronty, sweeper, account administrator, photographer or other volunteer must never use access, private information, rides, assignments, visibility or safety support to pursue someone.
A field note on relationshipsBelonging comes before courtship.
Friendships and relationships sometimes grow in communities. That can be lovely. Devon Deer is still a running club, and nobody is entitled to a romantic invitation, even one.
One invitation is a ceiling, not a right.
Between consenting adults who are genuine peers, one brief and respectful invitation may sometimes be appropriate when it is easy to decline. Do not put someone on the spot in front of the group. It must not happen while the group is moving, in an isolated place, during a ride, or while someone depends on you for navigation, return or support. A DM is not a loophole: never use a club account or contact information obtained through a club role to initiate; use only an ordinary peer channel that already exists, keep it brief and do not follow up. Anything other than a clear yes closes the subject unless the other person clearly initiates later.
Power requires a step back.
Someone with direct or indirect authority must not initiate or pursue a romantic or sexual relationship while that power or dependency exists. Temporary and informal roles count; stepping out of one shift solely to ask does not erase the imbalance. If mutual interest develops between adults who are genuine peers, disclose only the conflict needed for recusal. Private relationship details do not need to be disclosed. Transfer or end the relevant authority or support role before the relationship is pursued. If the relationship predates the role, disclose the conflict and step out of decisions or support duties affecting the partner.
↔
Custody of the shared habitatYou both keep the bridge.
The ending of an adult relationship, by one or both people, is normally private. Neither person owns Monday, Wednesday, the trails or the coffee table. Neither is owed friendship, an explanation, private contact or reconciliation. Nobody should be pressured to surrender a run day, disappear or recruit the herd to take sides.
That neutrality never applies to conduct. Devon Deer may act when harassment, stalking, intimidation, threats, retaliation, outing, sharing intimate information or interference with participation is alleged. Temporary or lasting boundaries must respond to the safety and conduct involved in the specific situation.
19−This note is for adults only.
No adult may use a run, volunteer role, club message or social connection created through Devon Deer to pursue a participant under 19. The parent-or-legal-guardian rule remains in place and does not replace every adult’s responsibility to maintain appropriate boundaries.
If you have reason to believe a child or youth’s well-being is in danger, New Brunswick law requires a direct report without delay to New Brunswick Child Protection at 1-833-733-7835. A club DM is not a substitute. Call 911 for immediate danger. Read the official guidance →
When a boundary is crossed
You do not have to confront the person first.
If you want to raise a concern, begin with only what is necessary. You may ask for information, support or a practical boundary without deciding immediately whether to pursue a formal complaint elsewhere.
- 01
Immediate danger
Call 911. A club social account is not an emergency service and may not be monitored in real time.
- 02
A club-connected concern
Club social messages are checked by volunteers, are not monitored continuously and have no guaranteed response time. Start with: “I need to raise a community standards concern.” Do not include names or the full account in the first message.
- 03
A conflict or confidential guidance
If the concern involves anyone who may see club DMs, or you do not know who has access, do not use those accounts. Devon Deer does not yet have a separate confidential or independent intake channel. Contact Sport NB SafeZone for confidential guidance about options and jurisdiction; it does not act as Devon Deer’s investigator.
The privacy limits matter.
Instagram and Facebook are external services, and more than one club administrator may be able to access messages. Devon Deer therefore cannot promise anonymity or absolute confidentiality. A fair response may require sharing enough detail with the person whose conduct was raised for them to understand and answer the concern; those details may identify the person who raised it. We will limit sharing to people whose involvement is reasonably necessary, check for conflicts and explain this limit before requesting more detail when practical.
A proportionate responseWhat a response may look like
The response will depend on the conduct, safety, stated wishes, conflicts and the real capacity of a volunteer group. It may include:
- listening and explaining options without requiring confrontation or mediation;
- stating a clear boundary or setting a no-contact expectation;
- changing a volunteer assignment, removing someone from a role or requiring recusal;
- temporarily adjusting or pausing participation in club-organized activities while a concern is reviewed;
- limiting or ending participation in club-organized activities when the conduct warrants it;
- referring someone to an external resource when the club lacks jurisdiction or expertise.
An interim step is not a finding of wrongdoing. It should be proportionate, time-limited and reviewed, and should not default to restricting the person who raised the concern. A person with a conflict must step out. When safe and reasonable, the person whose conduct was raised will receive enough information and a meaningful opportunity to respond before a lasting decision. Devon Deer cannot provide a professional investigation, legal service or counselling, but it can set boundaries for volunteer roles, club-managed channels and participation in club-organized activities.
Do not carry a concern aloneContacts and resources
What informed these standards
These standards draw on current safe-sport and human-rights guidance. The UCCMS and RRCA code do not automatically govern Devon Deer, and these links do not claim membership, certification or access to either organization’s complaint process. Rights and remedies under New Brunswick or Canadian law are separate.
Effective August 15, 2026. Reviewed at least annually and whenever reporting contacts, roles or practices change.
