Archive

May 19, 2017 - Dear Minister Naqvi and Directors McNeilly and Loparco, I hope this finds all of you well. We are writing today to urge the Government of Ontario to implement all of Justice Tulloch’s recommendations.  Implementation of all the recommendations contained in the Report would be a significant step forward in terms of rebuilding public trust in law enforcement and, ultimately, increasing public safety.  A piece-meal approach, on the other hand, is unlikely to be as effective.

This policy statement is based on the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) Policy on language and discrimination. The statement explains the relationship between the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), language-based discrimination and French-language minority rights under other laws.

May 16, 2017 - Dear Councillor El-Chantiry, Today the Ottawa Police Services Board is receiving the results of Phase III of the Ottawa Police Services Gender Project.  As you know, the project arises out of a settlement reached with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (Commission) in a human rights case filed by a female Ottawa Police Services (OPS) officer. 

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.

In 2016, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) wrote to public colleges and universities in Ontario asking them to implement six specific measures to reduce systemic barriers to post-secondary education for students with mental health disabilities. This report describes the systemic barriers identified by the OHRC, the modifications to post-secondary institutions’ policies and procedures requested by the OHRC, and the institutions’ self-reported progress in implementing the requested changes.

May 2017 - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is responsible for promoting and advancing human rights and preventing systemic discrimination. The OHRC has several functions under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), including the power to monitor and report on anything related to the state of human rights in Ontario. This includes reviewing legislation, regulations and policies for consistency with the Code.

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Toronto - A new report by the OHRC confirms that racial profiling is a daily reality that damages communities and undermines trust in public institutions. In Under suspicion: Research and consultation report on racial profiling in Ontario, the OHRC combines social science research with lived experiences gained through consultation with over 1,600 individuals and organizations.

The OHRC has made many recommendations over several years to address racial profiling. These are documented in our submissions to government ministries, police services and others, and in our 2003 inquiry report, Paying the price. Many of these recommendations are specific to policing, but others pertain more broadly to all organizations or institutions that may have a problem with racial profiling.

This section provides information on the demographics of survey respondents who took the racial profiling survey. 1. Region Table 11. Region where respondent lives by first letter in respondent’s postal code

Organizations Aboriginal Justice Strategy, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) African Canadian Legal Clinic (ACLC) Black Law Students' Association (BLSA), Osgoode Hall Law School Black Lives Matter - Toronto (BLM - TO) Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) Canadian Mental Health Association Ontario (CMHA Ontario) Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion (REI), York University Colour of Poverty Hamilton Community Legal Clinic Hamilton Police Service (HPS)

4.1. Key themes The widespread nature of incidents of racial profiling reported during the consultation, along with a growing body of case law and social science and legal research, confirms that racial profiling exists and is a broad concern shared by many Ontarians.  

3.1. Racial profiling trends and experiences We heard many reports about racial profiling from individuals, community groups, academics and others. This section is divided into two parts. The first outlines the results from our racial profiling survey related to:

Racial profiling is a specific type of racial discrimination that pertains to safety and security. The OHRC currently defines racial profiling as: [A]ny action undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection that relies on stereotypes about race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, or place of origin rather than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment.[22]

What is racial profiling? Racial profiling is a specific type of racial discrimination that pertains to safety and security. The OHRC currently defines racial profiling as: [A]ny action undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection that relies on stereotypes about race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, or place of origin rather than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment.

Racial profiling is an insidious and particularly damaging type of racial discrimination that relates to notions of safety and security. Racial profiling violates peoples’ rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). People from many different communities experience racial profiling. However, it is often directed at First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples, Muslims, Arabs, West Asians and Black people, and is often influenced by the negative stereotypes that people in these communities face.

Racial profiling is an insidious and particularly damaging type of racial discrimination that relates to notions of safety and security. Racial profiling violates peoples’ rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). People from many different communities experience racial profiling. However, it is often directed at First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples, Muslims, Arabs, West Asians and Black people, and is often influenced by the negative stereotypes that people in these communities face.

Racial profiling is an insidious and particularly damaging type of racial discrimination that relates to notions of safety and security. Racial profiling violates people’s rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). People from many different communities experience racial profiling. It is often directed at First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples, as well as people in racialized communities. It is often influenced by the distinctly negative stereotypes that people in these communities face.

Racial profiling is an insidious and particularly damaging type of racial discrimination that relates to notions of safety and security. Racial profiling violates people’s rights under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code). People from many different communities experience racial profiling. However, it is often directed at First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous peoples, Muslims, Arabs, West Asians and Black people, and is often influenced by the negative stereotypes that people in these communities face.

April 19, 2017 - Dear Minister Naqvi, we are writing today to ask you to work with your federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) counterparts to develop a national, whole-of-government action plan to address the systemic issues that have led to the over-representation of Black and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (Indigenous) people, and those with mental health and developmental disabilities in the criminal justice system (national action plan).

Toronto – As a result of a legal settlement between the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), Toronto Police Service (TPS) and Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB), officers who die from mental health injuries – not just physical ones – sustained in the line of duty will have equal opportunity to have their names included on the Toronto Police Service’s Memorial Wall.

November 11, 2015 - the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) filed an Application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) alleging discrimination in employment based on disability because of the Toronto Police Service’s (TPS) failure to include on its Memorial Wall officers who end their lives as a result of a mental health disability incurred in the line of duty. On April 18, 2017 a settlement was reached with the following terms...

May 3, 2017 - During the consultation, we heard many perspectives and experiences. We heard concerns about racialized and Indigenous peoples being subjected to unwarranted surveillance, investigation and other forms of scrutiny, punitive actions and heavy-handed treatment. We also tried to explore other, less well-understood forms of racial profiling, which may be systemic in nature. This report presents what we learned about institutional policies, practices, prediction and assessment tools, and decision-making processes, which may seem neutral but may nonetheless amount to systemic racial profiling. 

Toronto – The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has long been concerned with systemic discrimination in policing, which is a lived reality for many Ontarians. The result is mistrust that undermines effective policing and ultimately public safety.