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The OHRC invites public consultation on its human rights and mental health strategy development

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November 30, 2009

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For immediate publication

Toronto- The Ontario Human Rights Commission has released its Human Rights Mental Health Strategy for public consultation.

The Commission has significant concerns about the degree to which people with mental health disabilities and addictions face discrimination across sectors such as employment, housing and services. The OHRC has named mental health as one of its strategic priorities and is currently developing a human rights mental health strategy. This could involve using the functions in its mandate, such as public education, policy development, and legal intervention, to address systemic human rights concerns in key areas. In September 2009, the OHRC started meeting with individuals and organizations in the field regarding human rights concerns faced by people with mental health disabilities.

This stage of consultation is meant to gather feedback on key issues that pose human rights concerns for people with mental health disabilities and addictions.

The purpose of this consultation paper is to:

  • Describe the human rights protections related to mental health disabilities that are available under the Human Rights Code
  • Describe the OHRC’s current work in this area
  • Provide a summary of the key issues that have been raised with the OHRC so far
  • Lay out areas of focus the OHRC is considering and solicit feedback

The OHRC has posted the consultation paper on its website, and is directly contacting a range of stakeholders from the mental health sector across Ontario for input. The OHRC invites the public to send their comments by December 24, 2009.

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