All of Scouts Canada’s volunteers are trained to conduct risk and hazard reviews to ensure youth activities are as safe as possible.

Activities such as camps and outings require approval from a Group Commissioner and for some, parents are asked to sign a consent form. You can read more about this in our Camping and Outdoor Adventures Standards.

All of our activities have a minimum ratio of Scouters to youth, this is usually 1 Scouter to 8 youth, although it may change depending on the nature of the activities, for example; the risk assessment for a hike with Beaver Scouts may determine that the ratio should be 1:5.

As part of Scout Canada’s youth-led program, youth are involved in planning activities and undertaking risk assessments. We believe in youth leadership and helping youth learn how to be safe.

While a Scouter will always be responsible for risk assessments, youth engagement helps us run safer activities; an example of this might be; Cub Scouts identifying hazards on a hill before tobogganing or Scouts preparing for a hike by learning how to check the weather conditions.