I am pleased to present the 2025–2026 Annual Report of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (the Commission or OHRC), highlighting its efforts to fulfil its mandate and serve the people of Ontario.
This year marks a significant milestone for the OHRC: 65 years of advancing human rights in Ontario. This anniversary comes at a time when hate-speech and other hate-action threaten our democratic values, and questions about rights, equality, accountability, and belonging are top of mind for Ontarians – underscoring the continued relevance and urgency of the Commission’s work.
Dignity and respect for everyone are not ideals. They are guiding principles enshrined in law and reflect the Commission’s daily work. Human rights are not just words in legislation. They are essential for participating fully in a democratic society.
To uphold these principles, the OHRC continuously reflects on how to remain relevant and effective in serving Ontario’s diverse population of more than 16.1 million people. Over the past five years, this reflection has informed efforts to cultivate dignity and respect as lived values, embedding human rights into everyday systems, workplaces, and communities across the province.
Thus, the Commission has focused on advancing human rights in today’s context, with education being foundational. Education shapes and empowers individuals, strengthens communities, and prepares future generations for tomorrow’s challenges. At the same time, education is essential for building future economies, developing a resilient and adaptable workforce, and sustains a healthy democracy. The Commission is proud to be a leader in this area, to foster a culture of human rights and address systemic discrimination that can persist across generations.
Central to the Commission’s work in education are students’ experiences in the education system, from kindergarten onward. A major priority continues to be the Right to Read. In 2025–2026, the Commission continued its efforts to engage with education-sector duty-holders to help ensure all students realize their right to read. Many school boards embraced the inquiry report, taking concrete steps to adopt or update their literacy practices.
Alongside this work, the Commission marked the one-year anniversary of Dreams Delayed: Addressing Systemic Anti-Black Racism and Discrimination in Ontario’s Public Education System, an Action Plan that calls on duty-holders at all levels to take immediate and decisive steps to address anti-Black discrimination in Ontario’s public education system. To assist duty-holders, the Commission has created videos, webinars, and is in the process of creating a monitoring tool.
Advancing human rights also requires meaningful collaboration, partnership, and relationship-building. Over the past year, the Commission strengthened its partnerships with Indigenous communities to address longstanding and widespread Indigenous‑specific discrimination in Ontario’s healthcare system, retail settings, and hiring practices. The Commission also worked in collaboration with the Toronto Police Service, Peel Regional Police, and their respective boards to advance human rights and mitigate systemic discrimination in policing and law enforcement systems. The Commission appreciates the efforts of duty-holders and stakeholders who embraced relationship building to proactively prevent human rights violations.
Throughout 2025–2026, the Commission advanced responsible, human rights‑based approaches to artificial intelligence (AI), including through the release of the joint Principles for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, as well as through its contribution to Canada’s renewed AI Strategy.
To the people of Ontario —16.1 million strong — who have made Ontario home: every day, you place trust in the promise of dignity, fairness, and respect. Thank you for recognizing that human rights are vital to everyone’s daily lives. The OHRC’s work is grounded in your lived realities and carries that trust forward with purpose and pragmatism — working to uphold rights, address inequities, and advance justice.
I am grateful to the dedicated staff of the Commission for their steadfast commitment to public service and for the essential human rights work they do to support the Commission’s mandate.
To my colleagues — part-time Commissioners — and to our collaborators, partners, and stakeholders: your guidance and contributions continue to strengthen the Commission’s efforts and bring a fresh perspective to accountability and transparency.
It is a profound responsibility and a deep honour to serve you.
Together, we remain committed to upholding dignity, fairness, and justice for all Ontarians. After all, human rights are everyone’s responsibility.
Respectfully yours,
Patricia DeGuire
Chief Commissioner