Archive

​From Remembrance to Reconciliation

Reaching new milestones with the Human Rights Project Charter The Human Rights Project Charter resulted from the settlement of a long-standing human rights complaint by Michael McKinnon against the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. That settlement also included our commitment to report on the project’s process in the OHRC annual report.

Decision shows racial profiling as a form of everyday racism, confirms test for discrimination The OHRC intervened in Peel Law Association v. Pieters, where the Court of Appeal overruled a Divisional Court ruling, and held that the Divisional Court applied an overly strict test for discrimination. In its June 2013 decision, the Court of Appeal found that the HRTO was reasonable in concluding that the claimants were discriminated against because of race and colour.

Barbara Hall has more than 40 years of experience as a com­munity worker, lawyer and municipal politician. She served three terms as a Toronto city councillor from 1985 on and as Toronto’s mayor from 1994 to 1997. From 1998 to 2002 she headed the Canadian government’s National Strategy on Community Safety and Crime Prevention. She was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Province of Ontario’s Human Rights Commission in 2005.

June 2014 - Dear Mr./Ms. Speaker: Under Section 31.6 (2) of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ontario Human Rights Commission is required to submit a report on the Commission’s activities for the previous fiscal period by June 30th of each year, to be tabled in the Legislature. In this regard, I am pleased to provide you with the Commission’s Annual Report of its activities from April 1, 2013 to March 31, 2014. Yours sincerely, Barbara Hall, B.A, LL.B, Ph.D (hon.) Chief Commissioner

Chief Paul Cook President, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Dear Chief Cook, On behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), I would like to congratulate the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) for its updated version of the LEARN Guideline for Police Record Checks with a clearer presumption against disclosure of non-conviction records.

August 2014 - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is making this submission in response to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) review of its policy on Physicians and the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).

Please find attached the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) submission in response to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) review of its policy on Physicians and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Rights and responsibilities in rental housing under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

October 2014 - This case law review looks at important developments in the law dealing with discrimination based on pregnancy and breastfeeding between 2008 and January 2014.[1] The discussion of the law in Ontario is intended as a resource, to be read along with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on Preventing Discrimination because of Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (the Policy)[2], about the rights of women[3] who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, who have had a baby or who are breastfeeding. However, it is not legal advice.

The OHRC supports the recommendations of the report released yesterday by the Honourable Frank Iacobucci. As we said in our report on Police use of Force and Mental Health, “the challenge will be to put recommendations into action – and the time to do that is now.”

Highlights of the policy launch

Q&A webinar on Human Rights 101 eLearning

Toronto – The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) took another step to eliminate racial profiling in Ontario by speaking out in the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) systemic review of the OPP practices for obtaining voluntary DNA samples. The OHRC is troubled by allegations that the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) engaged in racial profiling when requesting DNA samples from migrant workers near Vienna, Ontario as part of a sexual assault investigation in October and November 2013.

Frank Fabiano Chief Administrative Officer, City of Thorold Dear Mr. Fabiano, I am writing in response to your request for advice regarding the issue raised by people of Aboriginal heritage in your community who find objectionable the current Black Hawk warrior image used by local hockey teams and their associations in Thorold, Ontario.

July 2014 - People with mental health disabilities are often among the most vulnerable people in Ontario. Many face a unique set of challenges where they live, in workplaces, or in our communities. When people are in crisis they also present a unique set of challenges to police services when considering the use of force. This leads to many concerns from a human rights perspective. It is not the role of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to comment on individual cases – we leave it to other experts to resolve these. But it is our role to look at common themes and concerns, and offer ways to move forward.

June 2014 - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is making this submission to the second independent legislative review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). In accordance with its mandate under section 29 (c) of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the OHRC speaks out and makes recommendations designed to prevent and eliminate discriminatory practices including barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Disability is consistently the most frequent ground of discrimination cited in over 50% of applications to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Dear Dean Moran, Please find attached the submission of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) regarding the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2013-14 Legislative Review.

June 2014 - The OHRC’s Policy on preventing discrimination based on mental health disabilities and addictions is intended to provide clear, user-friendly guidance on how to assess, handle and resolve human rights matters related to mental health and/or addictions. All of society benefits when people with mental health or addiction disabilities are given equal opportunity to take part at all levels.

There are inherent challenges in finding ways to best describe people. Because of the diversity of approaches to defining a mental health issue or an addiction, people may identify in many different ways. Terms that define groups and individuals with disabilities evolve as a result of the social and political climate and what is considered appropriate. Terms to describe people with mental health issues or addictions can reflect underlying negative views and stereotypes, and continued inequality, or they can promote acceptance, inclusion and human rights.  

The OHRC’s previous work on disability has addressed discrimination against persons with mental disabilities and/or addictions. The OHRC’s Policy and guidelines on disability and the duty to accommodate (Disability Policy)[16] recognizes that people with mental disabilities face a high degree of stigmatization and significant barriers to employment opportunities.

From 2009 to 2011, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) consulted on its mental health strategy with over 1,500 concerned individuals and groups, including approximately 1,000 people with mental health issues or addictions, as well as employers, service providers, housing providers, advocates, families and others.

For immediate release Toronto – A new policy, released today, aims to provide user-friendly guidance on how to define, assess, handle and resolve human rights issues related to mental health and addiction disabilities. The Policy on preventing discrimination based on mental health disabilities and addictions was released by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC).

The following are some examples of discriminatory practices against people with psychosocial disabilities that mark an unfortunate part of Canada’s history. Many of these practices still have a profound impact on people’s sense of inclusion and their ability to exercise their rights today. People with mental health disabilities or addictions and others have responded to many of these issues by actively seeking changes to laws and policies to achieve social justice.

The ultimate responsibility for maintaining an environment free from discrimination and harassment rests with employers, housing providers, service providers and other responsible parties covered by the Code. It is not acceptable to choose to stay unaware of discrimination or harassment of a person with a mental health disability or addiction, whether or not a human rights claim has been made.