I am writing on behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to support Bill 83, An Act to proclaim a Day of Remembrance and Action on Islamophobia.
I am writing today to communicate the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) strong support for Bill 76, An Act to ensure that the laws of Ontario are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Today, the Court of Appeal for Ontario unanimously held that administrative segregation of any prisoner for more than 15 days is cruel and unusual treatment, contrary to s. 12 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The OHRC has released videotapes of a training session on our new Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities. OHRC Senior Policy Analyst Cherie Robertson leads you through key elements of the policy.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) offers the following submission on Bill 68, The Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act, 2019.
Originally published by the Globe & Mail - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) was sounding the alarm on this inhumane practice well before I met Adam Capay in a segregation cell in the Thunder Bay Jail in October 2016.
I am writing today about the Superior Court of Justice’s decision in R. v Capay (2019 ONSC 535) dated January 28, 2019. Consistent with other recent court cases and the OHRC’s earlier calls to action, the factual findings in R. v Capay confirm that segregation is harmful to health, increases risk and undermines safety, rehabilitation and reintegration. As I am sure you will agree, Justice Fregeau’s findings are extremely troubling and call for decisive action.
January 25, 2019 - I am writing today to provide the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) perspective on the government’s consultation on increasing the housing supply in Ontario.
December 14, 2018 - The OHRC makes the following deputation to the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) in response to its Anti-Racism Advisory Panel (ARAP) Quarterly Update.
Toronto – After the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario invited the OHRC to intervene in the case of Gallant v Mississauga, the OHRC reached a settlement with the City of Mississauga and the Applicant, Bradley Gallant. The settlement addresses the harmful impact of stereotypes on Indigenous youth by requiring Mississauga to remove from its sports facilities all Indigenous-themed mascots, symbols, names and imagery related to non-Indigenous sports organizations.
Toronto - Today, on International Human Rights Day, the OHRC released A collective impact, the interim report on its inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black persons by the Toronto Police Service.
Toronto - At the second annual OHRC Community Advisory Group Summit, on November 20 and 21, 2018, approximately 40 representatives serving diverse communities across Ontario offered their expertise, lived experience and insight on commitments made in the OHRC’s 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, Putting people and their rights at the centre.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released To dream together: Indigenous peoples and human rights dialogue report.
Human Rights Commission across Canada - members of the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) - applaud the government of British Columbia's plans to establish an independent human rights commission.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a new policy statement on cannabis and Ontario’s Human Rights Code.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) filed a notice of intervention with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) in the case of AB v Ministry of Education, involving recent changes to Ontario’s education curriculum.
OPINION - The first day of school is a time to reconnect and arrive recharged and ready to learn. But for students with disabilities and their families, it is often a day that is filled with anxiety.
Toronto – Today, the OHRC released its new Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities, along with recommendations on how to best meet legal obligations under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.
Toronto – Today, the OHRC released Impact today, investment for tomorrow, its 2017-2018 Annual Report.
Toronto – The OHRC intervened in Talos v Grand Erie District School Board to challenge the provision of Ontario’s Human Rights Code that allowed employers to cut or reduce benefits to workers aged 65 and over. The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario found that subsection 25(2.1) of the Code, as well as related provisions in the Employment Standards Act and its regulations, amount to age discrimination and violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
TIMMINS — In February, Joey Knapaysweet, 21, and Angnes Sutherland, 62, both from Fort Albany First Nation, died in separate incidents involving the Timmins Police Service. Both incidents are being examined by the Special Investigations Unit. The deaths galvanized a community where Mayor Steve Black said a police gun had not been fired in the line of duty in 34 years.
Toronto – Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released Call It Out. This new interactive eLearning program is a tool designed to raise awareness of the history and impact of racism and racial discrimination and to promote a culture of human rights in Ontario.
In advance of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21), the OHRC is inviting people to take part in its public interest inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black persons by the Toronto Police Service (TPS).
For me, the answer must start with understanding freedom from sexual harassment as a human right. Realizing the freedom from violence is essential to human dignity, equality, and hope.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) supports the proposed Correctional Services Transformation Act (CSTA), introduced on February 20, 2018, as an important step towards meeting Ontario’s ambitious commitments in relation to correctional reform.
One year ago today – January 29, 2017 – Canadians learned of the mass murder of six people, and the wounding of many others at a Centre culturel islamique de Québec in Quebec City. I was riveted by my tiny screen as the events were reported in real time on social media late into the night – a bystander watching from behind a glass window powerless to do anything.
Toronto – On January 16, 2018, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario issued a Consent Order requiring Ontario to end the use of segregation for people with mental health disabilities across its 26 correctional facilities, barring exceptional circumstances. The Order was obtained on the consent of the OHRC and the Ontario government.
Toronto – In advance of Human Rights Day (December 10), the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has released Taking the pulse: People’s opinions on human rights in Ontario. This report examined the results of a public opinion survey of 1,501 people aged 18 and older.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced that it has launched a public interest inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination by the Toronto Police Service (TPS). Using its legislated inquiry powers under section 31 of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, the OHRC has called for the TPS, the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) and the Special Investigations Unit to provide a wide range of data to determine exactly how and where racial profiling operates in law enforcement.
Toronto - At the first-ever OHRC Community Advisory Group Summit, on November 8 and 9, 2017, approximately 50 representatives from various communities across Ontario offered their expertise, lived experience and creativity to help the OHRC create a sustainable and transparent approach to community engagement.
In conversations about criminal justice reform, it has become cliché for leaders to conclude that sustainable solutions lie in “rebuilding trust.” And for good reason. A September 2017 poll found that six in 10 Torontonians would “be scared” if they were “pulled over by a police officer for no apparent reason.” When speaking to the introduction of the Safer Ontario Act, Attorney General Yasir Naqvi said the legislation will rebuild trust. But will it?
I am writing to express the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) support for Bill 164, which was introduced on October 4, 2017 in the Legislature. We understand that the Second Reading will take place on October 26. As I expressed in our meeting on October 2, it is the OHRC’s position that Bill 164 improves the Human Rights Code by including new grounds of protection for people under social condition, police records, genetic characteristics, and immigration status.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) makes the following deputation in response to the Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) Discussion Paper in which it proposes to expand the deployment of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs) to on-duty primary response unit constables and on-duty constables from designated specialized units.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a new policy statement explaining the purpose and importance of the duty to accommodate under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).
Just as students were headed back to school, a vigorous debate was unfolding on the pages of this paper (and others) about the accommodation of students with mental health disabilities. Unfortunately, this debate has been dominated by professors and columnists whose expertise lies outside human rights law and whose opinions do not adequately take into account the lived experience of discrimination.
Bill 164, Human Rights Code Amendment Act, 2017, introduced yesterday in the Ontario Legislature, would amend the Human Rights Code (Code) to include social condition, police records, genetic characteristics and immigration status as prohibited grounds of discrimination.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) announced new legal action to advance the human rights of prisoners with mental health disabilities in Ontario’s correctional facilities at a press conference at Queen’s Park.
Toronto – The OHRC will announce new legal action to advance the human rights of individuals with mental health disabilities in Ontario’s correctional facilities at a press conference on September 26, 2017.
The Government has the power to take action to protect people who are being harmed by racism and Islamophobia, and we call on it to boldly do so. There is considerable scope for the Government to develop positions, policies and programs that promote inclusion and respect, especially for racial and religious minorities. These types of actions are consistent with the values of Canadians and the Charter.
Toronto – The 2017 edition of Canadian Diversity, entitled “Racial profiling and human rights,” offers insights into the nature and consequences of racial profiling in Ontario and Canada.
Toronto – Today, a coalition of community and advocacy groups, as well as the Ontario Human Rights Commission, issued a joint statement calling on the Government of Ontario and police oversight bodies to immediately implement recommendations of the Honourable Justice Michael Tulloch from his Report of the Independent Police Oversight Review. This statement was prompted by recent events that highlight several police accountability issues that require immediate action.
A few months ago, I visited Thunder Bay and had the opportunity to speak with members of the Indigenous community. Community members told me about their concerns related to policing and child welfare, trafficking of Indigenous women and girls, and everyday racism in almost every facet of their lives including employment, housing, healthcare and retail. Most strikingly, people talked about being “garbaged” – literally having garbage thrown at them while walking down the street, all because of their Indigenous ancestry. I brought these concerns to the leaders that I met later in the day, including the Mayor and police.
LONDON – On July 8, 2017, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) signed an agreement with the ultimate goal of ending anti-Indigenous discrimination in Ontario. This agreement sets the stage for future collaboration with urban Indigenous communities that is based on trust, dignity, respect, and a shared commitment to reconciliation and substantive equality.
Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission launched A bold voice, its 2016-2017 Annual Report. This report highlights the OHRC’s work and the results we are seeing. Over the past year, the OHRC has successfully put people’s human rights at the centre of public conversations and policy-making, and advanced evidence-based and practical solutions to tackle the discrimination marginalized and vulnerable people continue to face.
Toronto – After intervening in the case of The Estate of Kulmiye Aganeh v. Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the OHRC has reached a settlement with the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (formerly known as Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene).
On Monday, the federal government introduced Bill C-56, which would impose a 21-day limit for “administrative segregation” (this will be decreased to 15 days after the legislation is in operation for 18 months). Where prison authorities propose to keep a person in segregation beyond these time limits, the case would be referred to an independent external reviewer to make recommendations on whether the prisoner should be released or remain in segregation.
Toronto – Today, the OHRC released a new policy statement explaining the relationship between the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), language-based discrimination and French-language minority rights under other laws.
Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released With learning in mind, a new inquiry report that describes systemic barriers that students with mental health disabilities experience in post-secondary schools. It also outlines the changes the OHRC called for in college and university policies and programs, and the progress these institutions have made in implementing the changes.
Toronto – The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) welcomes the first report of Ontario’s Independent Advisor on Corrections Reform, Howard Sapers, on the use of segregation in Ontario’s correctional system.
