Equiflash Archive

Ryerson University’s Centre for Free Expression has published findings from their March 2020 "Whistleblower" survey of Equity’s membership on the extent of harassment (including bullying) and discrimination in the live performance industry in Canada. The survey also examined how these incidents are being addressed by Equity and lessons that can be learned to provide effective whistleblower protection and create safer and healthier workplaces.

After a 2015 members’ survey that first shone the light on harassment in our workplaces Equity’s Not In OUR Space! campaign launched in Fall 2017. In Fall 2019 a multidisciplinary team of researchers led by James Turk (Centre for Free Expression, Ryerson University) started working on a survey to assess the effectiveness of the campaign and explore issues related to whistleblowing in the live entertainment industry.

The survey was conducted in March 2020. In order to focus on the experiences of members who had worked in Equity workplaces since Not in OUR Space! was launched, the survey was distributed to all the 2,790 Equity members who had at least one engagement of two weeks or longer in the previous two years. 871 members completed the survey, for a response rate of 31.2%.

The respondents were overwhelmingly aware of the Not in OUR Space! campaign (97%) and reported seeing improvements in workplace culture and behaviour since its launch.

While these figures are encouraging and point to the fact that the Not In OUR Space! messages are getting through and the culture is shifting, there is still more to do and the report makes several recommendations for how Equity can achieve this, such as implementing bystander training and finding ways to better support whistleblowers.


Equity thanks the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for funding this research and James Turk and Ryerson’s Centre for Free Expression for undertaking it on our behalf.

Equity’s Staff and Council will look to implement the study recommendations and continue our work to ensure safe and respectful workplaces for all Equity members.