Goods, services and facilities

November 3, 2014 - Dear Dr. Mukherjee, Thank you for this opportunity to contribute to the important discussion regarding the job specification and expectations for Toronto’s next Chief of Police.

Recent events have triggered a nationwide discussion about the continued occurrence of sexual harassment and violence against women throughout Canadian society. Sexual harassment is against the law. The Ontario Human Rights Code Code prohibits sexual harassment in employment (and in services, housing, and other “social areas”).

Chief Paul Cook President, Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police Dear Chief Cook, On behalf of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), I would like to congratulate the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) for its updated version of the LEARN Guideline for Police Record Checks with a clearer presumption against disclosure of non-conviction records.

August 2014 - The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is making this submission in response to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) review of its policy on Physicians and the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).

Please find attached the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) submission in response to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario’s (CPSO) review of its policy on Physicians and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

The OHRC supports the recommendations of the report released yesterday by the Honourable Frank Iacobucci. As we said in our report on Police use of Force and Mental Health, “the challenge will be to put recommendations into action – and the time to do that is now.”

Frank Fabiano Chief Administrative Officer, City of Thorold Dear Mr. Fabiano, I am writing in response to your request for advice regarding the issue raised by people of Aboriginal heritage in your community who find objectionable the current Black Hawk warrior image used by local hockey teams and their associations in Thorold, Ontario.

July 2014 - People with mental health disabilities are often among the most vulnerable people in Ontario. Many face a unique set of challenges where they live, in workplaces, or in our communities. When people are in crisis they also present a unique set of challenges to police services when considering the use of force. This leads to many concerns from a human rights perspective. It is not the role of the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to comment on individual cases – we leave it to other experts to resolve these. But it is our role to look at common themes and concerns, and offer ways to move forward.

June 2014 - Discrimination in services may happen when a person experiences negative treatment or impact because of their mental health or addiction disability. Discrimination does not have to be intentional. And, a person’s mental health or addiction disability needs to be only one factor in the treatment they received to be able to show that discrimination took place. People with a mental health or addiction disability who also identify with other Code grounds (such as sex, race or age) may be distinctly disadvantaged when they try to access a service. Stereotypes may exist that are based on combinations of these identities that place people at unique disadvantage.

We thank the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB) for listening to concerns raised by the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and other advocacy and community groups in previous deputations. In particular, we acknowledge that the TPSB has set out a definition of public safety as well as disciplinary measures in the event that the policy is breached.   However, we have concerns about the policy as drafted, including those described below.