Human rights: means people being free of discrimination or harassment and having equal opportunity in employment, housing, services, contracts and vocational associations (like unions and professional organizations) regardless of factors like race, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, ancestry, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, criminal record, marital or family status, disability or being on social assistance.
Ontario Human Rights Code: Enacted in 1962, the Ontario Human Rights Code, commonly referred to as the code prohibits actions that discriminate against people based on a protected ground in a protected social area. Social area include: accommodation (housing), contracts, employment, goods, services and facilities, membership in unions, trade or professional associations.
Human Rights Protected Grounds or Code Grounds: In Ontario the protected grounds are: Age, Ancestry, colour, race, Citizenship, Ethnic origin, Place of origin, Creed, Disability, Family status, Marital status (including single status), Gender identity, gender expression, Receipt of public assistance (in housing only), Record of offences (in employment only), Sex (including pregnancy and breastfeeding) and Sexual orientation.
Discrimination: happens when someone treats a person or a group of people unfairly because of factors like race, colour, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or family status, or disability. Sometimes a rule or practice unintentionally singles out a group of people and results in unequal treatment. This type of unintentional discrimination is called constructive discrimination.
Harassment: means statements or actions that are not welcome. Harassment based on protected grounds is unwelcome pattern of behaviour that offends or humiliates people because of their race, colour, ethnicity, religion, place of origin, ancestry, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or family status, or disability. It can be something someone says, how they touch you, how they ignore or isolate you, or something they write down or a drawing they share. Some examples of harassment are: name-calling, unwelcome remarks, jokes, slurs, displaying derogatory or offensive messages, failure to accommodate, curriculum material that promotes discrimination and so on.
Accommodation: Sometimes barriers exist that prevent a person from fully enjoying their rights and discriminate against them. ‘Accommodations’ are changes that we make to allow a person to fully access their rights and remove the barrier. Under the Code, organizations are required to prevent and remove barriers and provide reasonable accommodation. Accommodation needs occur most frequently in the context of religion, family status, disability, age, gender identity and gender expression.
Source: Ontario Human Rights Commission | (ohrc.on.ca)
Updated on Tuesday, November 16, 2021.