What is Rzone?
Rzone is a program requiring all persons
wishing to visit or use any City of London
recreation facility, park, or program to
respect others and take responsibility in
helping the City maintain a positive
environment.
The "R" in Rzone stands for Respect and
Responsibility. Respect for yourself,
Respect for others, and Responsibility for
your actions. The logo will serve as a
reminder to staff and the public that the
program is in effect and applies to everyone.
Rzone is first and foremost, a proactive
education and awareness strategy to
promote respectful and responsible
behaviour at recreation facilities.
The Rzone program applies to all community
organizations and individuals using City
of London recreational facilities, parks,
and programs.
Rzone originated in Oakville, and has
been adopted by 6 other Ontario
municipalities and 1 U.S.
municipality. A City of London Rzone
by-law and policy now applies in all City
of London recreation facilities and parks.
Why do we need Rzone in London?
Incidents of bullying, violence,
intimidation, vandalism, threats, and
discriminatory behaviour have
unfortunately risen over the past number
of years in London. Prior to Rzone,
no City by-law or policy existed that
provided staff with clear direction and
authority to deal with issues that were
not clearly criminal behaviours requiring
police involvement.
What behaviours are considered
inappropriate under Rzone?
No form of violence, vandalism, or
inappropriate behaviour is acceptable on
properties, in facilities, or in programs.
Incidents involving the following should
be reported:
- Threats/ attempts to intimidate
- Aggression
- Use of alcohol/drugs
- Harassment
- Verbal assault/ use of profane or
abusive language
- Physical assault/harm
- Vandalism
- Theft
- Attempts to goad or incite violence
- Bullying, mistreatment which
intimidates, humiliates, or demeans
another person
- Possession of weapons or firearms
prohibited under the Criminal Code
- Any contravention of other Federal or
Provincial laws, Regulations, City
By-laws or policies deemed inappropriate
behaviour
- Refusal to follow the rules
established by the City for use of its
facilities
How do I report an Incident?
For best and timely resolutions,
incidents should be reported within 24
hours. If you are involved in or witness
an incident at a City "indoor" facility,
you may report it to a staff member. (S)he
will, with your assistance, complete the
report. If an incident occurs at an
"outdoor" facility where staff are not
available, an incident report should be
submitted online.
To report an incident, please fill out
the Rzone Incident Report
form and e-mail it to rzone@london.ca.
Once a report is made, City of London
staff will investigate the incident and
apply sanctions to offending parties if
deemed necessary.
Rzone counts on organizations promoting
Rzone principles and standards of conduct
amongst their own membership. The City
will promote Rzone and respond to
complaints of Rzone violations occurring
on City property. In addition, we hope the
promotional and monitoring activities of
the City and organizations using City
recreational facilities will contribute to
safer, healthier, more respectful
recreation environments.
How does Rzone affect the
responsibilities of referees and officials
on the field of play?
Games are still regulated by the rules of
the sport and these rules are administered
by the designated officials while the
game/match is in play. Rzone will
not impact players participating in the
game context. Rzone will apply to
spectators observing games and will also
apply to teams at tournaments who are not
playing at the tie of an incident.