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I am here today on behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission to indicate our general support for this proposed legislation.Let there be no doubt. Bullying is a critical human rights matter. Ontario’s Human Rights Code is Ontario’s highest law. All schools, including public, Catholic and private, have a legal duty to provide students with an educational environment free from harassment and other forms of discrimination because of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability and sex including gender identity.

Ontario’s Human Rights Code is Ontario’s highest law. All schools, including public, Catholic and private, have a legal duty to provide students with an educational environment free from harassment and other forms of discrimination because of their race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability and sex including gender identity. Bullying is a form of harassment within the meaning of the Code.

Toronto – Sikhs who wish to enter a Toronto courthouse wearing a kirpan (stylized representation of a sword) now face fewer barriers according to a settlement reached with the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Police Services Board, and the Ministry of the Attorney General. The Toronto Police Service (“TPS”) agreed to revise its procedures to ensure that practicing members of the Sikh faith will be allowed to wear kirpans in public areas of courthouses, subject to an individualized risk assessment.

September 2013 - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is updating its Policy on Creed and the Accommodation of Religious Observances. This page provides some general background information about the update, and what may be changing in the updated policy. It will be revised as the creed project evolves.

May 2012 - What follows is a discussion of significant legal decisions dealing with religious and creed rights in Canada. The focus is on decisions made since the Commission issued its 1996 Policy on Creed and the Accommodation of religious observances. It does not review every decision, but those that may be important from a human rights perspective. In addition to a description of the case law, trends and areas where it is anticipated the case law will continue to evolve or be clarified are identified. The review will form the basis for further research and dialogue concerning the law in Canada as it relates to this significant area of human rights.

Toronto - A settlement between the Ottawa Police Services Board and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) means Ottawa Police Services (OPS) will begin to collect race-based data on traffic stops by OPS officers.

You have the right to be free from discrimination that is in a specific social area such as jobs, housing and services, and in a specific social area such as jobs, housing and services. Your rights under the Code are not violated if you only have a social area or only have a ground. You must have both.

Developing a culture of human rights

1. Our mission:

  Introduction The Ontario Human Rights Commission (the “OHRC”) is committed to and works to provide the highest quality service to the people of Ontario. The OHRC developed its Public Complaints Policy and process (the “Policy”) to ensure that it responds to complaints from members of the public in a transparent, fair and timely manner.

  We, the staff of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, in full compliance with the spirit, intent and provisions of the Ontario Human Rights Code, are committed to providing the highest quality customer service. This statement of our commitment reflects our best efforts to provide excellent customer service, within the limits of our resources, by:

Vision: An inclusive society where human rights are a lived reality and where all people are valued and treated with dignity and respect, feel a sense of belonging, and take responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights. Mission: To create a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity of all people by promoting and protecting human rights in Ontario by addressing systemic discrimination.  Values:  

Factum of the interveners the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and the Alberta Human Rights Commission.

April 2012 - The main goal of this policy is to provide clear, user-friendly guidance to organizations, policy makers, litigants, adjudicators and others on how to assess, handle and resolve competing rights claims. The policy will help various sectors, organizations and individuals deal with everyday situations of competing rights, and avoid the time and expense of bringing a legal challenge before a court or human rights decision-maker. It sets out a process, based in existing case law, to analyze and reconcile competing rights. This process is flexible and can apply to any competing rights claim under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, provincial or federal human rights legislation or another legislative scheme.

Toronto – The Ontario Human Rights Commission today launches a new Policy on competing human rights. The policy is designed to help organizations and individuals deal with everyday situations of competing rights, and try to avoid the time and expense of bringing a legal challenge before a court or human rights tribunal.

a. OHRC organizational model  

  Ontario’s human rights system faces challenges unprecedented in our history. Across the province, our communities are changing. New groups are arriving in what were once homogeneous areas; the population is aging; there is a much greater awareness of the rights and needs of people with disabilities and a greater awareness of social justice issues in general, although much remains to be done.

In November 2008, following public town hall meetings with individuals and groups across the province, the OHRC finalized strategic and business plans to guide its work under its new mandate for the following three years. Our aim is to educate, empower and mobilize partners in communities across the province to raise awareness, help identify concerns and implement solutions.

  While respecting each other’s specific roles and independence, the OHRC, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) share certain information and expertise to identify and respond to emerging human rights issues. This helps maximize resources and human rights benefits for all Ontarians.

 

Toronto – A significant decision from the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) in XY v. Ministry of Government and Consumer Services reinforces the human rights of trans people. The decision found that legislation requiring a person to have “transsexual surgery” before they can change the sex designation on their birth registration is discriminatory.

Adler v. Ontario, [1996] 3 S.C.R. 609 Alberta v. Hutterian Brethren of Wilson Colony, 2009 SCC 37 Assn. of Justices of the Peace of Ontario v. Ontario (Attorney General) (2008), 92 O.R. (3d) 16 B. (R.) v. Children’s Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto, [1995] 1 S.C.R. 315 Bothwell v. Ontario (Minister of Transportation), 2005 CanLII 1066 (ON S.C.D.C.) Bou Malhab v. Diffusion Métromédia CMR Inc., [2011] 1 S.C.R. 214

1)  A vision statement setting out the organization’s commitment to maintaining a fair and equitable environment where everyone’s human rights are respected, and where discrimination, harassment, and competing rights situations are dealt with promptly and effectively.

Scenario 1: The Prom Recognizing rights 1. What are the claims about? Matt’s Claim Matt is a gay 17-year-old student attending a publicly funded Catholic high school. He wishes to go to the prom with a same-sex date. The prom is being held at a rental hall off school property. He is considering seeking a court injunction because the prom is only weeks away.

What are the claims about?