alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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Korop Municipality, July 2026 – Children with special educational needs (SEN) in Ukraine have always required additional support in the learning process. But after years of full-scale war, the challenge has become even greater. More children now need emotional, psychological, and educational support, while educators themselves continue working under constant stress, adapting to new realities and often lacking the practical tools needed to provide inclusive education effectively.

Through the Recovery for All (RFA) initiative Ukrainian municipalities receive support to help recover from the damage of war. The goal is to make sure recovery efforts truly serve the people who need them most, rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach. The RFA Project provides support to municipalities to design and manage governance, social and economic recovery initiatives (RIs) identified in municipality-developed action plans to enhance equity and participation of citizens. The following segment from RFA speaks to efforts around inclusive education.

For many municipalities, ensuring quality inclusive education has become not only an education issue, but also part of recovery itself. Families are more likely to remain in municipalities where children can safely access education that responds to their individual needs. Teachers noted how challenging it is to work in a classroom of more than 30 students, including three children with SEN, each requiring a different level of support.

“As a teacher, I’m constantly asking myself: how can I give each child the attention they need, considering their individual learning needs? Where do I find the time for this — and is it even possible to achieve meaningful results in these conditions?” the teacher shared.

Recognizing this, one of the priorities of the RFA project is building inclusive learning environments in partner municipalities, including Korop, Mena, Shabo and Velyka Dymerka. The aim is to strengthen municipalities’ practical capacity to provide inclusive, equitable, and barrier-free education for all children.

The project team begins by working directly with educators and municipalities to identify the main barriers to effective inclusion. Across municipalities, schools faced similar challenges: teachers often lacked practical experience working with children with SEN, communication within inclusive classroom teams was weak, and many educators felt overwhelmed by the growing demands placed on them.

To address these challenges, RFA developed a mentoring support program for school teams focused on practical implementation of inclusive education. Over five months, more than one hundred educators worked alongside mentors to strengthen teamwork, study practical approaches for supporting children with SEN, analyse real classroom situations, and identify ways to improve inclusive learning environments.

One of the schools in the municipality of Korop clearly demonstrated how these changes can transform the learning experience for both educators and children. According to educators, one of the biggest challenges was the lack of effective cooperation between teachers and teacher assistants in inclusive classrooms.

“Our general assumption was that if there’s an assistant, then the assistant works exclusively with the child — so the child doesn’t disrupt the lesson,” said Inna Hrytsai, Teacher Assistant and Head of the Methodological Association of Teacher Assistants in the Korop school.

To address this issue, mentors introduced practical exercises tailored specifically to meet the needs of Korop’s educators. Teachers and assistants worked together on adapting lesson materials, analysing classroom situations, and even switching roles to better understand each other’s responsibilities.

The results were tangible. Teaching assistants reported that lesson planning is now done collaboratively with teachers, while support for children with SEN has become more structured, coordinated, and consistent.

“Teachers in inclusive classrooms and teacher assistants are now working as one team. They communicate much more, clearly understand each other’s roles, and can better support the child together,” said Vita Yaduta, a teacher from the Taras Shevchenko School in Korop.

These improvements directly affect how children experience school. Educators report that children with SEN are now more actively engaged in classroom activities, receive learning materials better adapted to their individual needs, and participate more confidently alongside their peers.

The mentoring program helped schools move beyond formal inclusion toward concrete practices that genuinely support children and respond to their needs. For municipalities recovering from war, inclusive education is about more than access to school, it is about creating communities where every child can learn, participate, and build their future.

About Recovery for All (RFA)

The RFA Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Alinea International provides support to municipalities to design and manage governance, social and economic recovery initiatives (RIs) identified in municipality-developed action plans to enhance equity and participation of citizens. RFA aims to strengthen the Government of Ukraine (GoU) in leading a demand-driven, gender-responsive, citizen-oriented recovery that is environmentally sustainable and inclusive. The project supports the GoU in establishing a decentralized and EU-compatible strategic and recovery planning framework and enhances the GoU’s ability to develop policies that meet the real needs of citizens—particularly in key sectors such as health, education, and social services. The project will strengthen the capacity of 35 municipalities in meaningful strategic planning ensuring participation of citizens and consideration of their needs, and in managing governance, social, and economic recovery initiatives identified in municipal action plans.

More information here: https://rfa.alineainternational.com/

Photo: Shutterstock (Dec/2023)