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Ontario human rights commission

Learn the latest! — Responding to human rights harassment complaints: Guidelines from the HRTO

You are an employer that has just received a harassment complaint from an employee. The complaint is against a valued employee who you do not want to lose. But you are also worried that you will be faced with an expensive human rights complaint or lawsuit. What do you do?

 

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Most-viewed articles this week on HRinfodesk

The three most read articles this week on HRinfodesk deal with discrimination based on on ethnic background and place of origin, amendments to the Old Age Security regulations, and what you need to remember when hosting company holiday parties.

 

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Ontario Human Rights Commission to update its policy on creed and religious observances

The Ontario Human Rights Commission issued a release recently to notify the public about an upcoming update to its policy on creed and accommodation of religious observances. The policy was created 15 years ago and is now due to be reviewed and amended to reflect the current demographics in Ontario. Public feedback is being collected to inform the new policy – yes, this means you.

 

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Report on the Ontario human rights review revisited: Concerns it may raise for employers

Last week we posted an entry about the Attorney General’s report on the Ontario Human Rights Review. Today’s post will revisit the report, attending to the concerns it may raise for employers.

 

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Attorney General’s report on the Ontario Human Rights Review, 2012 Part 1

The Attorney General of Ontario released a report last week on the Ontario Human Rights Review for 2012. While both the Attorney General and the Ontario Human Rights Commission both function within the greater Ontario government, this review was created independently of government agency, with the aim to examine how the current system performs toward the highest goals to maintain justice, transparency, timeliness, and works against systemic discrimination.

 

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OHRC releases consultation report on human rights, mental health and addictions

On Thursday, September 13, 2012, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released Minds That Matter: Report on the consultation on human rights, mental health and addictions, which is the result of what they heard from the consultation across the province and sets out a number of key recommendations and commitments to address human rights issues that affect people with mental health disabilities or addictions.

 

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Ontario policy on competing human rights

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has published a very useful “Policy on competing human rights.” I recommend that you take a few minutes and review the policy and include it in your workplace human rights policies and training curricula.

 

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Slaw: Dialogue on human rights relating to religious belief and practices

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has invited citizens to submit short papers (six to eight pages) toward a dialogue on human rights, specifically relating to religious belief and practice as shaped by the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

 

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AODA and the relationship with the Ontario Human Rights Code

While learning about the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), organizations should be aware of the legal limitations of the Act in relation to the Ontario Human Rights Code. Many people are unaware that the Code takes precedent.

 

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The perpetuation of gender-based stereotypes is a form of sexual harassment

Morris has been Everett’s supervisor for over six years. Recently Morris had hired several administrative assistants and was giving the new recruits a workplace tour. The entourage stopped near the area where Everett was working and Morris introduced everyone. “Everett is your go-to person, ladies, for advice on fashion, hair, make-up or anything else a girl needs to know these days.”

 

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New policy regarding sexual and gender-based harassment

On March 8, 2011, just in time for International Women’s Day, the Ontario Human Rights Commission released a new policy regarding sexual and gender-based harassment. It has been noted that although great strides have been made for women in the past hundred years, there is still a long way to go to eliminate the barriers women face. The new policy deals mainly with sexual harassment in employment, housing and education.

 

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Collecting human rights-based data – yes you can!

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) recently launched a new guide that provides information and advice on collecting human rights-based data in a wide variety of sectors across Ontario. The guide, Count me in!, aims to dispel fears of collecting human rights-based data, and provides a plain language, common-sense framework for collecting said data in a way that can build trust and encourage proactive solutions.

 

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