Community Guidelines

Introduction

At Colour the Trails, we have grown over the years to create an incredible network nationwide of individuals invested in building community and recreating together in the outdoors. To ensure our policies are clear, we have created this resource for easy access to know more about our policies.

Inclusion Policy

At Colour the Trails, we are dedicated to fostering an environment that champions inclusivity, respect, and equality. We want to make it clear that we will not tolerate any form of anti-Blackness, anti-Indigenous attitudes, racism, homophobia, ableism or transphobia within our organization or community. We firmly stand against discrimination and prejudice, and we are committed to creating a safe and affirming space for individuals of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, abilities, and gender identities. Together, we strive to promote unity, understanding, and support for all trail enthusiasts, regardless of their background or identity. As a Black owned and Black led business, we recognize the greater prevalence of anti-Blackness and anti-Indigeneity and will always prioritize support and protection for Black and Indigenous communities.

Colour the Trails is committed to creating a welcoming space for LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. Participants and organizers will introduce ourselves using our preferred pronouns at the start of each event to ensure participants are all feeling welcome and seen. Please ensure that you use other participants’ preferred pronouns.

We reserve the right to restrict or deny registration to future events for any participants that intentionally disregard this policy and engage in racist, anti-Indigenous, homophobic, or transphobic behaviours. Thank you in advance for making CTT a welcoming community!

One Ticket Limit

There is a one ticket limit per person to ensure we have accurate information for all attendees in order to send important information about the event, including waivers. If we see multiple orders under the same name, the extra orders will be refunded. Please respect the one ticket per person policy.

Photo & Video Release Consent:

By purchasing a ticket you grant permission for Colour the Trails and sponsors to use any of the photos or videos from this event that have been taken by Colour the Trails videographers and photographers. They will be used for the purpose of sharing experiences with the community and encouraging future participation in events, which can include but is not limited to, print or digital versions, social media and websites without compensation or recognition given. Colour the Trails will not use the photographs in a manner that would exploit or cause malicious representation toward you.

Photos will be shared at the discretion of the event organizers. Please be prepared to take your own photos and videos if you want to ensure that you capture memories of your experience. If you post or share photos, we ask and encourage participants to tag Colour the Trails so that others in the community can learn about our work and get the chance to participate.

Please contact [email protected] BEFORE the event if you do not want to be photographed or on video during an event.

Content Creation Statement

We ask to respect our work and to not create content to promote any other brands or organizations using footage or images taken during our events. Our team is putting a lot of energy and time into creating community spaces with little support and unrelated organizations should not benefit from our hard labour. You are encouraged to share about Colour the Trails work as it shows the welcoming and safe space we are creating and word of mouth helps our community to grow!

Event Transportation

Please note that participants are responsible for getting to our events independently. You can organize carpooling through Private Facebook Groups for each chapter. If you are carpooling with someone, please make sure to chip in for gas/parking.

Colour the Trails Alberta | Facebook.

Colour the Trails Southern Ontario | Facebook.

Colour the Trails British Columbia | Facebook.

Colour the Trails Quebec | Facebook

Cancellation Policies

We are a very small team that puts an incredible amount of time and energy into creating affordable and safe opportunities for the community. Short or last moment cancellations mean that it is a missed opportunity for other members of the community and our team. We have had cases when every spot matters, we have a waitlist of folks wanting to join, but we receive multiple last moment cancellations and no shows. This also means our partners and guides are losing trust in our ability to organize group attendance, and hinders our relationships and opportunities to partner on more events in future. We understand that circumstances may arise that lead to the need for event cancellations, but we want to make sure that opportunities and all participants have a fair chance to attend our events.

Participants are encouraged to communicate any cancellations or changes to their event attendance at the earliest convenience. This helps us manage our resources effectively and gives us the opportunity to offer the spot to other interested participants on the waitlist. We sincerely appreciate your cooperation and understanding of our cancellation policy. By adhering to these guidelines, we can continue to provide high-quality events and opportunities for all participants that is a fair and equitable system for event sign-ups.

Regular One Day Events Cancellation Policy

This policy applies to smaller one-day events. We would like to emphasize that even when the participation fee is low ($10-100) it is important to show up as last moment cancellations make us look bad as a group in front of partners that help us to create affordable events.

Cancellation At Least 7 Days In Advance: For cancellations made at least 7 days in advance of the scheduled event, no penalties will be incurred. Participants can request a full refund. In some cases when we pre-pay for spots with our hosts, we might need to fill in the spot in order to issue a refund.
Cancellation Within 7 Days: In the unfortunate event that a cancellation is requested less than 7 days before the scheduled event, or no shows the following policy will apply:

Refund: Cancellations made less than 7 days of the event will not be eligible for a refund.
Penalty: A three months ineligibility to attend future events. We leave a right to cancel any registration of the person under penalty in this time frame. After the three-month ineligibility period has elapsed, participants can once again sign up for future events without any restrictions.

Cancellation Policy for Multi-day Adventure, Summits, Retreats, or Partnered Events

This policy applies to larger events, including summits, partnered events, and multi-day overnight events, where attendance planning and logistics are especially crucial. These events take us months to plan and execute. We understand that unexpected situations may arise that require event cancellations, but we want to ensure the smooth and fair execution.

Cancellation Timeframe: For cancellations made at least 20 days in advance of the scheduled event or within the specific timeframe indicated by the event organizer in the registration information, participants will not incur any penalties. You can request a full refund or choose to transfer your payment to a future event.
Cancellation Within 20 Days or Specified Period: In the unfortunate event that a cancellation is requested during specified time frame, or no show happens, the following policy will apply:

Refund: Cancellations made less than 20 days of the event will not be eligible for a refund unless we manage to fill in the spot.
Penalty: A six months ineligibility to attend future events. We leave a right to cancel any registration of the person under penalty in this time frame. After the six month ineligibility period has elapsed, participants can once again sign up for future events without any restrictions.

Mentorships Cancellation Policy

There will be no full or partial refunds once the participation in the program is confirmed. Most of our work is done during planning and preparation stages. If a mentee needs to withdraw from the mentoring program early, there will be no fee adjustments. This includes in the case of injury as we still need to pay the instructor and cover the cost of operating the program, without a replacement participant.

We understand that there might be exceptional circumstances that lead to last-minute cancellations or program withdrawals. If you believe your situation qualifies as an exceptional circumstance, please contact our team as soon as possible. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis, and a decision regarding the cancellation penalty will be made accordingly.

Harassment Policy

We deeply value our team members and their expertise. To maintain consistency and professionalism in our operations, we kindly ask that our team is treated with respect in all communications. Harassment or disrespect towards our team will not be tolerated. This includes decisions regarding applications, cancellations, or any other communications through designated channels. Our team members, who work part-time for Colour the Trails, are dedicated to supporting their community. Colour the Trails reserves the right to ban individuals from attending future events to protect the mental and physical safety and wellbeing of our leaders and community.