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OHRC’s annual report examines what impacts us today and where we need to go tomorrow

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July 10, 2018

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Toronto – Today, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released Impact today, investment for tomorrow, its 2017-2018 Annual Report.

The report showcases the OHRC’s work to address systemic discrimination in the following strategic focus areas:

Reconciliation:

  • The OHRC’s data report, Interrupted Childhoods, confirmed that Indigenous and Black children are over-represented in child welfare across Ontario.
  • We engaged with more than 1,500 people through our public education sessions focusing on reconciliation.

Poverty:

  • Our human rights survey provided concrete evidence to support calls for more robust human rights protections for economically marginalized people.

Education:

  • We engaged approximately 1,200 people through public education sessions throughout the province.
  • Based on research conducted in 2017-2018, we will launch our Policy on accessible education for students with disabilities and recommendations to ensure equal access to education in the fall.

Criminal justice:

  • More than two-thirds of our recommendations were adopted in policing and corrections legislation.
  • We obtained a Human Rights Tribunal Consent Order requiring the Ontario government to ensure that the ban on solitary confinement for people with mental health disabilities is implemented and effective.                                                                                                                                    
  • Our public interest inquiry into racial profiling and discrimination by the Toronto Police Service will provide targeted solutions for policing that respects human rights.  

“We are in a unique position to proactively address human rights abuses that can’t be fully remedied by courts and tribunals, costing our economy billions of dollars,” said OHRC Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane. “Discrimination is too costly to ignore and we’ll continue to use the full weight of our mandate to promote and enforce human rights, and create a culture of accountability.”

Also today, the OHRC released Communities for change, its report on the inaugural Community Advisory Group Summit and a new community engagement strategy.

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Chief Commissioner Renu Mandhane will be available for media interviews on July 10 and 11, 2018.

Media contact:
Vanessa Tamburro
Issues and Media Relations Officer
Ontario Human Rights Commission
416 314 4528 | vanessa.tamburro@ohrc.on.ca