Code of Conduct

WOTS Toronto is committed to creating an environment at our events and within our team relations that is respectful and inclusive for all.

In order to champion reading and writing in an accessible and inclusive environment, we ask everyone to adhere to the following Code of Conduct when engaging with WOTS spaces:

  • Please be respectful and courteous toward others at all times, including but not limited to WOTS staff, author guests, and other attendees, in any WOTS-hosted space.
  • Harassment of any kind, from intimidation to verbal abuse to illegal behavior, will not be tolerated.
  • Racism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, and other discriminatory behaviours are unacceptable at all WOTS-related events.
  • Other behaviors, including but not limited to offensive written or verbal comments, harassing photography or recording, and sustained disruption of talks or other events, are inappropriate and will not be tolerated.
  • Violation of any of these policies will result in action by the festival team ranging from warnings, to deletion of online comments, to being banned or removed from physical or virtual spaces, including restrictions on attending or participating in future WOTS events.
  • Attendees asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately, and may be required to leave the event.
  • If you feel you are being harassed, we respectfully suggest the following: If you feel comfortable doing so, point out the inappropriate behaviour to the person(s) involved. If you do not feel comfortable, please report the situation to a WOTS staff member or volunteer. You will be treated with respect, and your concerns will be taken seriously. All names involved will be kept confidential to the extent possible, but any accused person(s) has the right to know enough details to be able to defend themselves.
  • The Word On The Street reserves the right to amend these rules at any time without prior notice, and reserves the right of interpretation of this Code of Conduct.

For further details or to report an incident, please contact the WOTS team: toronto@thewordonthestreet.ca

Accessibility & Safety

WOTS Toronto is proud to improve our accessibility each year at the festival, with the help of our community partners. Our in-person and virtual programming is 100% free to attendees, and we are taking other measures to increase the accessibility of our programming including the following:

Accessibility Measures
  • We will have ASL interpreters and live closed captioning wherever possible.
  • Service animals are always welcome in our marketplace and programming venues.
  • We continuously work with our venues to provide accessible entrances, seating, and washroom access for attendees. 
  • If you require an accommodation that is not described here, please reach out to David Alexander, Festival Director, at david@thewordonthestreet.ca or Sienna Tristen, Programming Manager, at sienna@thewordonthestreet.ca.
COVID Safety
  • We encourage all of our author guests, marketplace exhibitors, and festival attendees to wear a mask where social distancing is not possible.
  • Masks and sanitizer are available for free throughout the site.

Exhibitor Regulations

If you are an Exhibitor at this year’s festival, please read through our Exhibitor Regulations and adhere to them at all times while occupying WOTS spaces.