News Centre

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) congratulates Patricia DeGuire on her 1st anniversary on August 19, 2022, as Chief Commissioner.

The Right to Read executive summary is now available on audiobook. Listen to all the key findings and recommendations in 11 chapters. The full Right to Read report is also available online in an accessible pdf format for easy downloading.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission calls on the Government of Ontario to include air conditioning as a vital service, like the provision of heat, under RTA regulations and to establish a provincial maximum temperature to make sure that vulnerable Code-protected tenants are protected against threats of eviction for using safely installed air conditioning units.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) found that the Ontario Provincial Police discriminated based on race, colour and place of origin when it conducted a DNA sweep of migrant workers in a sexual assault investigation in Elgin County, Ontario in 2013. 

The OHRC has prepared a submission in response to Canadian Heritage’s request for the views of human rights commissions to inform the Government of Canada as it prepares Canada's combined 24th and 25th periodic report to the United Nations on its implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Over the coming months, the OHRC will undertake a consultation related to poverty with a specific focus on affordable, adequate and accessible housing and mental health and addiction disabilities.

The OHRC believes the Peel District School Board’s Anti-Racism Policy is the most comprehensive such policy in Ontario, and may serve as a leading practice to inspire other Ontario school boards to create or revise anti-racism policies.

TORONTO – Today, the OHRC released Reflect, reimagine, respond: results, its 2021–2022 annual report, highlighting the steps it took to reflect on, reimagine and respond to human rights concerns, and ultimately bring about human rights results for Ontarians.

The OHRC understands that the Town of Kingsville’s study, Kingsville Temporary Foreign Worker – Final Report, has now been completed and will be discussed by Council on Monday June 27, 2022. Upon reviewing the study and the proposed recommendations, the OHRC is very concerned that the recommendations would, if implemented, continue to create discriminatory barriers to migrant workers living as full members of the Kingsville community.

As the world grapples with the ongoing “monkeypox” outbreak, several very concerning human rights issues have been exposed.

The Toronto Police Service’s own analysis on its race-based data collection on use of force and strip searches confirms the disproportionate use of force and enforcement actions against Black people that have also been identified by the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

TORONTO – Today, on the 60th anniversary of the enactment of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, in a YouTube premiere, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) presented the first-ever Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Awards, and honoured four recipients who have each made significant contributions to advance human rights in Ontario and beyond.

TORONTO – Today, in a landmark decision – Ontario (Health) v Association of Ontario Midwives – the Court of Appeal for Ontario confirmed the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario’s decision that Ontario midwives experienced gender-based discrimination and should be compensated equitably to eliminate the gender wage gap.  

On June 15, the 60th anniversary of Ontario’s Human Rights Code, the Ontario Human Rights Commission will announce the recipients of the first-ever Daniel G. Hill Human Rights awards.

Today we mark the painful anniversary of the tragic death of three generations of a Muslim Canadian family in London, Ontario.

The OHRC welcomes the York Catholic District School Board’s review of the School Resource Officer/Values Influences and Peers programs. The review provides the Board with the opportunity to re-assess the engagement between officers and students.

If you use the OHRC website to understand the human rights system in Ontario, take eLearning courses, refer to policy documents on rights and responsibilities and more, please share your views by filling out the OHRC website survey.

The OHRC is pleased with the Ministry’s immediate response. Throughout the inquiry process, the Ministry has been receptive to hearing from the OHRC. The Ministry’s announcement represents positive steps, which are aligned with key OHRC recommendations.

The OHRC and Peel Regional Police invite people who live or work in Mississauga or Brampton to register to take part in one of four online community engagement sessions on measures to address systemic racism in Peel policing.

I am writing to reinforce the Toronto Youth Cabinet’s call on the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to support all Ontario colleges and universities in providing free access to menstrual hygiene products to students.

Every day is International Women’s Day, but today, at the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), we pause to honour the achievements women have made towards gender equality in the workplace and towards a more equitable society.

TORONTO – Today the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released its Right to Read inquiry report on human rights issues affecting students with reading disabilities, calling for critical changes to Ontario’s approach to early reading, in areas such as curriculum and instruction, screening, reading interventions, accommodations and professional assessments.

Today the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched the Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Awards to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Human Rights Code and to share, recognize and celebrate the achievements made to advance human rights across Ontario.

I am writing today to provide the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) submission on the government’s Proposed Regulatory Amendments under the Housing Services Act, 2011 – Reg. 367/11. The OHRC is committed to bringing a human rights perspective to government strategies aimed at addressing poverty, homelessness and hunger.

Throughout February, the OHRC and people across Canada pause to honour and celebrate the immense achievements and contributions that Black people have made, and continue to make, across all sectors of society. We celebrate Black people’s determination, perseverance, resilience, and strength toward growing a more inclusive and just society.