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Business Plan 2018/19 - 2020/21

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Contents

Section 1: Executive Summary
Section 2: Mandate
Section 3: Overview of Programs and Activities
Section 4: Environmental Scan and Risks
Section 5: Strategic Directions and Key Commitments
Section 6: Human Capital Plan
Section 7: Information Technology (IT)/Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Plan
Section 8: Initiatives Involving Third Parties
Section 9: Communication Plan
Section 10: Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Section 11: Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
Section 12: Three-Year Financial Plan
Section 13: Performance Measures and Targets

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Section 1: Executive Summary

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) is an arm’s-length agency of the government of Ontario established under the Ontario’s Human Rights Code. The function of the OHRC is to protect, promote and advance respect for human rights in Ontario, as well as identify and promote the elimination of discriminatory practices, all in the public interest. The OHRC works in many ways to fulfill this mandate, including through education, policy development, public inquiries and litigation.

The OHRC released its five-year Strategic Plan publicly in December 2016, and has developed its operational plan and performance measures based on this new plan. Our priorities for the next four years have been updated and are reflected in this Business Plan.

Key Achievements for 2017:

Indigenous Reconciliation:
  • Developed new partnerships:
    • We negotiated a formal partnership with the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centers (OFIFC) – MOU dated July 2017. This partnership is consistent with our Strategic Plan commitment to establish and strengthen our relationships with Indigenous groups. This agreement sets the stage for future collaboration with urban Indigenous communities that is based on trust, dignity, respect, and a shared commitment to reconciliation and substantive equality. It will facilitate joint initiatives between the OFIFC and the OHRC (Press Release).
    • We continue to work towards formal partnerships with the Chiefs of Ontario and Métis Nation of Ontario, who are both interested in working more closely with the OHRC. At its All Ontario Chiefs Conference held at Lac Seul First Nation in June 2017, the Chiefs passed a motion approving efforts to establish joint activities and further collaborate with the OHRC.
    • Ongoing work being done to create linkages and coordination with the HRLSC, including the finalization of an MOU – to be signed when the government appoints a Chair to the HRLSC Board.
    • The OHRC brought together a planning committee made up of representatives from Indigenous organizations (OFIFC and Chiefs of Ontario) and Indigenous legal academics (Karen Drake and Jeffrey Hewitt) to plan and establish a three-day dialogue on Indigenous human rights, world views, and implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The dialogue will be co-hosted with Osgoode Hall Law School, with in-kind support from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. We will coordinate a large-scale gathering of Indigenous knowledge keepers, Elders, academics, political and government leaders, advocates, lawyers, policy makers, activists, artists, youth and human rights institutions. We will host a public lecture featuring James Anaya, Dean of the University of Colorado Boulder Law School and former UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
    • In March 2017, the OHRC provided three days of learning for staff and Commissioners on Indigenous history, culture, institutional structures, and experiences focusing on past discrimination and current efforts at reconciliation. The entire OHRC team traveled to the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation to engage with Chief Stacey Laforme and traditional knowledge-keeper Nancy Rowe.
    • We solidified an ongoing relationship with elder Nancy Rowe to make sure that the OHRC is able to continue to benefit from her traditional knowledge.
    • We expect to publicly release an inquiry report into the overrepresentation of Indigenous and racialized children and youth in the child welfare system in March 2018.
    • Chief Commissioner made numerous visits with Indigenous groups across the province in large and small centres this past year to help build our relationship with the Indigenous community and its leaders.
Education:
  • We released With learning in mind, a new inquiry report that describes systemic barriers that students with mental health disabilities experience in post-secondary schools. It also outlined the changes the OHRC called for in college and university policies and programs, and the progress these institutions have made in implementing the changes.
  • We conducted research and consultation to update the OHRC’s Guidelines on accessible education for anticipated launch in 2018.
  • Our Policy statement on religious accommodation in schools was written to clarify the law and the OHRC’s guidance, as presented in its Policy on preventing discrimination based on creed (March 2017). This was in response to resistance to religious accommodation and emerging conflict and tension in Peel region.
Poverty:
  • The OHRC conducted a legal review on how poverty has been incorporated into Canadian human rights jurisprudence, and is developing a discussion paper on human rights and poverty for public release in 2018. This discussion paper will form the foundation of a detailed research and consultation phase that will include a major policy dialogue in 2019.
  • The OHRC wrote to the Attorney General expressing our support for Bill 164, introduced on October 4, 2017. Bill 164 expands protections under the Human Rights Code to include social condition, police records, genetic characteristics and immigration status. We issued a public statement supporting the Bill the day after it was introduced (www.ohrc.on.ca/en/news_centre/ohrc-supports-bill-improve-human-rights-code). It is our view that adding social condition will significantly strengthen human rights protections for the most marginalized and vulnerable Ontarians, including people with precarious employment, low income, or people who are homeless. One of our Strategic Plan priorities is to gain explicit protection under the Code for people who experience poverty, hunger and homelessness; Bill 164 is consistent with this commitment. (October 2017)
  • The OHRC wrote to the Attorney General urging the government to repeal the Safe Streets Act. We noted that this Act criminalizes people for being poor, perpetuates stigma against street-involved and homeless people, and subjects them to greater police surveillance, fines and imprisonment. We also noted that the Safe Streets Act disproportionately impacts people protected under the Code. The OHRC took part in a press conference where community groups launched a Charter challenge to the Safe Streets Act.
  • The OHRC intervened at the Supreme Court of Canada in British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal v. Schrenk. The SCC accepted the OHRC’s position in a landmark decision.
Criminal Justice System:
  • The OHRC is working with the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards to provide guidance to make sure that the disaggregated race-based data collection requirements under Regulation 58/16 Collection of Identifying Information in Certain Circumstances – Prohibition and Duties are applied in a consistent and meaningful way.
  • After extensive consultation with the community, the OHRC made the following submissions to government to place human rights at the centre of policing and police oversight in Ontario:
  • The OHRC filed a breach of settlement application with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), alleging that the Ontario government breached the September 2013 settlement in Jahn v. Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) relating to segregation of people with mental health disabilities.
  • The OHRC initiated a public interest inquiry into racial discrimination and profiling of Black persons by the Toronto Police Service by sending inquiry letters to the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Police Services Board, and the Special Investigations Unit. We publicly launched the inquiry at a press conference featuring experts and youth with lived experiences of racial profiling by police.
  • We made a written deputation to the Toronto Police Services Board in response to the Toronto Police Service discussion paper on “Achieving Zero Harm/Zero Death.” We reaffirmed that the use of conducted energy weapons (CEWs) raises serious human rights concerns; that the TPS must develop and adopt standards, guidelines, policies and strict directives to minimize the impact of CEWs on people protected under the Code, especially people with perceived and actual mental health disabilities or addictions; and we recommended that TPS not expand the use  of CEWs until it undertakes the studies and adopts the safeguards repeatedly recommended by the OHRC, the Independent Review by the Honourable Justice Frank Iacobucci, and many Coroners’ Inquests.
  • The OHRC released Under suspicion: Research and consultation report on racial profiling in Ontario, which confirmed that racial profiling is a daily reality that damages communities and undermines trust in public institutions. The OHRC combined social science research with lived experiences gained through consultation with over 1,600 individuals and organizations. The report also includes an OHRC commitment to create specific policy guidelines to help individuals, community groups and organizations in law enforcement, child welfare, courts and corrections to prevent and address racial profiling.
Leadership voice:
  • Our Chief Commissioner appeared before the House of Commons Parliamentary Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage on Motion M-103 – Systemic Racism and Religious Discrimination. The OHRC commented on ways the federal government could respond to hate expression without impinging on freedom of expression rights. (September, 2017 – Link Here)
  • After intervening in the case of The Estate of Kulmiye Aganeh v. Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the OHRC reached a settlement with the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care (formerly known as Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene). The OHRC intervened in the case to address the accommodation of patients with diverse religious beliefs, and the link between race, mental health and the disproportionate use of restraints.
  • We expect to launch Call it out, a new eLearning module on racism and racial discrimination, in 2018. We established partnerships with the Anti-Racism Directorate and the Centre for Leadership and Learning to facilitate module use by the wider Ontario Public Service.
  • The Chief Commissioner wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Globe and Mail on June 21, 2017. “Ottawa’s solitary bill is a start. Now the provinces must do better” urges the provinces and territories to consider new federal legislation limiting solitary confinement as a floor, not a ceiling.
  • In an op-ed in the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal on July 25, 2017, the Chief Commissioner called on all people who call Thunder Bay home to demand that their leaders address racism head-on – “Only with sustained leadership can we change the dialogue from denial and division to understanding and reconciliation.”
Practical guidance:
  • The OHRC released the following policy statements:
    • Policy statement on the duty to accommodate under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Link here) provides details about the duty to accommodate, and supports accommodation as a practical way to further inclusion and substantive equality. (October, 2017)
    • The Policy statement on Francophones, language and discrimination (Link here) explains the relationship between the Code, language-based discrimination and French-language minority rights under other laws. In keeping with the Preamble of the Code, the statement aims to promote respect for the inherent dignity of Franco-Ontarians and their full participation in society without discrimination based on Code grounds related to language. (June, 2017).
    • The Policy statement on religious accommodation in schools (link here) outlines the responsibilities of education providers to accommodate based on creed.
  • In-person public education activities:
    • Chief Commissioner: 19 speaking engagements reaching 3,490 people
    • Staff: 54 speaking engagements reaching 2,790 people
  • The OHRC convened three “Taking it Local” full-day human rights workshops open to the public and organized with local partners. These events allow the OHRC to engage with communities across the province, facilitate broader understanding of regional concerns, provide networking opportunities for human rights advocates in community settings, and empower people with current human rights knowledge.
    • Durham Region (organized by the Women's Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre of Durham, in partnership with the Regional Municipality of Durham and Trent University Durham) held at Trent University Durham on Thursday, April 27, 2017. Attended by approximately 175 people.
    • London (hosted by the OHRC in partnership with the City of London) held at the London Convention Centre on Thursday, May 11, 2017. Attended by approximately 200 people.
    • Ottawa (hosted by the OHRC in partnership with the City of Ottawa) held at Ottawa City Hall on Tuesday, December 19, 2017. Attended by approximately 200 people.
  • The OHRC was involved in reviewing, commenting or preparing submissions on at least five bills (Human Rights Amendment Act, Supporting Children Youth and Family Act, Anti-Racism Act, Safer Ontario Act) – including 18 public or external comments, 7 by the Chief Commissioner and 11 by staff, and 13 other monitoring and legislative review-related activities.
  • Over a one-year period from November 2016 to October 2017, the OHRC had approximately 790,842 unique views (including Working Together: The Code and the AODA) of its eLearning. The most viewed modules were Working Together at 648,884 unique views and HR 101, which had 57,238 unique views.

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Section 2: Mandate

The OHRC was established in 1961 as an arm’s-length agency of government, to prevent discrimination and to promote and advance human rights in Ontario. The OHRC is one pillar of Ontario’s human rights system, together with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) and the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC).

Under the Ontario Human Rights Code (Code), the OHRC has a broad statutory mandate to promote, protect and advance respect for human rights, and to identify and promote the elimination of discriminatory practices. The OHRC promotes and enforces human rights to create a culture of human rights accountability. The OHRC works in many ways to fulfill this mandate, including through education, policy development, public inquiries and litigation.

Section 29 of the Code states that the functions of the OHRC are to “promote and advance respect for human rights in Ontario, to protect human rights in Ontario and, recognizing that it is in the public interest to do so and that it is the Commission’s duty to protect the public interest, to identify and promote the elimination of discriminatory practices” and, more specifically,

(a) to forward the policy that the dignity and worth of every person be recognized and that equal rights and opportunities be provided without
discrimination that is contrary to law;

(b) to develop and conduct programs of public information and education;

(i)  to promote awareness and understanding of, respect for and compliance with this Act, and

(ii) prevent and eliminate discriminatory practices that infringe rights under Part I;

(c) to undertake, direct and encourage research into discriminatory practices and to make recommendations designed to prevent and eliminate
such discriminatory practices;

(d) to examine and review any statute or regulation, and any program or policy made by or under a statute, and make recommendations on any
provision, program or policy that in its opinion is inconsistent with the intent of this Act;

(e) to initiate reviews and inquiries into incidents of tension or conflict, or conditions that lead or may lead to incidents of tension or conflict, in a community, institution, industry or sector of the economy, and to make recommendations, and encourage and co-ordinate plans, programs and activities, to reduce or prevent such incidents or sources of tension or conflict;

(f) to promote, assist and encourage public, municipal or private agencies, organizations, groups or persons to engage in programs to alleviate
tensions and conflicts based upon identification by a prohibited ground of discrimination;

(g) to designate programs as special programs in accordance with section 14;

(h) to approve policies under section 30;

(i) to make applications to the Tribunal under section 35;

(j) to report to the people of Ontario on the state of human rights in Ontario and on its affairs;

(k) to perform the functions assigned to the Commission under this or any other Act.  2006, c. 30, s. 4.

OHRC Vision and Mission

Vision: An inclusive society where everyone takes responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights; where everyone is valued and treated with equal dignity and respect; and where everyone’s human rights are a lived reality.

Mission: To promote and enforce human rights, to engage in relationships that embody the principles of dignity and respect, and to create a culture of human rights compliance and accountability. We act as a driver for social change based on principles of substantive equality. We accomplish our mission by exposing, challenging and ending entrenched and widespread structures and systems of discrimination through education, policy development, public inquiries and litigation. 

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Section 3: Overview of programs and activities

Under the Code, the OHRC has a broad statutory mandate to promote, protect and advance respect for human rights, and to identify and promote the elimination of discriminatory practices. The OHRC works in many different ways to fulfill this mandate, including through education, policy development, public inquiries and litigation.

The OHRC is currently engaged or will engage in activities that are in accordance with the focus areas in our five-year Strategic Plan. Our activities will focus on:

  • Building and sustaining trusting relationships with Indigenous communities.
  • Enforcing human rights and seeking accountability in the criminal justice system.
  • Advancing human rights law addressing poverty within a human rights framework.
  • Promoting and strengthening a human rights culture of rights and responsibilities, with a special focus on educating children and youth in our education system.

The OHRC’s current and planned activities in these areas include, but are not limited to:

Reconciliation:

  • Establishing relationships with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and organizations.
  • Conducting a dialogue on Indigenous Human Rights.
  • Providing public education and outreach related to reconciliation.

Criminal justice system:

  • Developing or updating OHRC policy/guidelines on preventing racial profiling in policing and security sectors.
  • Initiating inquiries and/or litigation relating to human rights in police services, corrections, racial profiling.
  • Continuing to advocate for more effective police oversight.

Poverty:

  • Conducting formal public consultations with a call for research papers and a policy dialogue.
  • Recognizing the connection between human rights under the Code and economic and social rights protected in international law.
  • Initiating inquiries and/or litigation relating to economic and social rights.

Education:

  • Supporting and providing consultations and engagement on developing human rights curriculum.
  • Updating and launching Guidelines on accessible education.
  • Providing advice on the Ontario Government's development of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Education Standard .The AODA process includes developing standards on various aspects of life to facilitate greater accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities. The Education Standard is the latest Standard for development and of great importance for enhancing accessibility for students.

Foundational strengths:

  • Leadership voice: We will clearly communicate why and how people’s experiences are human rights issues. We will speak out about the human toll and cost of discrimination. We will retain capacity to respond strategically to critical and emerging issues across all Code grounds and social areas. We will provide human rights solutions.
  • Our people: We will enhance personal and organizational well-being and connectedness.
  • The OHRC will continue to cultivate our relationships with a broad range of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions, including government, NGOs, community groups and human rights duty holders (for example, employers, housing and other service providers). We will continue to strengthen our relationships with the other two pillars of the human rights system, the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).
  • Evidence-informed approaches: We will prioritize evidence-informed approaches to understand the state of human rights and systemic discrimination in Ontario, and to evaluate our own work. Recognizing the need to collect both quantitative and qualitative data, we will use data to be able to show our relevance and the impact of our work. Over the coming five years, we will promote an environment that champions and rewards continuous learning and evaluation.
  • Practical guidance and solutions: We will strive to ensure that policy is translated into practice by duty holders in a way that delivers a lived experience of human rights.
  • Our partnerships: As statutory agencies established under the Code, the OHRC and Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) recognize the need to work closely together to achieve the vision for human rights set out in the Code. In a forthcoming Memorandum of Understanding, we will facilitate information-sharing and coordination between the two agencies, to advance human rights in Ontario. This MOU is a statement of intent to share information and to work together, recognizing each agency’s unique mandate.

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Section 4: Environmental scan and risks 

Adding community voices

As set out in its Strategic Plan, the OHRC created a Community Advisory Group to provide ongoing ideas and advice as we work to meet our strategic priorities. This group was set up to begin – and in many cases to continue – an ongoing, meaningful conversation between the OHRC and the many communities we serve. The conversation is about collaboration, partnerships and mutual support. We had an application and selection process, which began with inviting individuals to submit a statement of interest. We asked members to commit to one-year terms, which are renewable.

One element of the group’s first meeting (a two-day summit) involved providing an environmental scan from a community perspective. The results from this scan will be released in greater detail in an upcoming report on the summit. This input will guide us in 2018 as we refine our Operational Plan.

Global and domestic context

Across the world, we are seeing a rise in overt racism, sexism, violence and xenophobia. Societies are becoming increasingly polarized and fragmented. In many Western democracies, populist movements have openly questioned the relevance and necessity of foundational values, including substantive equality.

Public opinion survey

It is important to understand the perspectives of people the OHRC may not encounter in our monitoring and outreach activities. A public opinion survey commissioned by the OHRC in 2017 gauges people’s attitudes towards human rights. The survey results will allow the OHRC, government and community to more effectively advance public understanding of human rights. The data will inform OHRC policy development, public education and outreach strategies. We will also use this data as a baseline for future surveys.

The poll found respondents to be largely accepting of different types of people and cultures. There was also positive support for accommodating the needs of certain groups such as caregivers and people with mental health disabilities and addictions. However, negative stereotypes persist about certain groups. Fewer than half of respondents were positive towards transgender people (46%), refugees (46%), Muslim people (45%), Arab people (44%), and were least positive towards people in receipt of public assistance (39%).

While two-thirds (65%) agreed to some extent that police must treat everyone equally regardless of group identity, large minorities of respondents held the negative view that police are at least sometimes justified in profiling or targeting specific groups including: Muslim people (44%), Arab people (42%), young people (41%), Black/African Canadians (40%), South Asian people (39%), homeless people (39%), people with mental health disabilities or addictions (39%) and Indigenous peoples (37%).

Two-thirds of respondents (66%) recognized that discrimination is at least somewhat of a problem in Ontario. Black and Indigenous respondents thought so even more (86% and 74%). Race or colour was believed to be one of the most common reasons for discrimination (63%), followed by sexual orientation (34%), disability (25%) and creed or religion (24%).

Yet, discrimination appears to be grossly underreported. Almost half (48%) of respondents who experienced discrimination kept it to themselves. Only 14% say they complained to someone in the organization where it happened.

Lack of awareness about human rights may underlie negative attitudes and discrimination towards certain groups. Only a small majority (55%) of respondents had some familiarity with Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Under half were familiar with the Commission, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. Just over a third were familiar with Indigenous rights and the impact of colonialism.

At the same time, the vast majority (89%) of respondents agreed students should learn more about human rights in school.

Impact of OHRC’s work

  • The OHRC’s 2016-17 Annual Report identified some of our work that has had an impact on recent government legislation, policies and independent reviews.
  • The OHRC welcomed the introduction of the Anti-Racism Act and a three-year strategy, in response to long-standing calls for government-mandated data collection in key sectors like education, policing and child welfare. The OHRC continues to call on the government to put forward regulations to mandate data collection in key sectors.
  • The OHRC’s ground-breaking work on solitary confinement led to the review and report of the Independent Advisor on Corrections and commitments to introduce reforms in new legislation.
  • The government introduced legislation to address the findings and recommendations of Justice Tulloch’s report on police oversight (which, in turn, reflected many of the community’s and the OHRC’s recommendations).
  • The OHRC’s intervention in an application to the HRTO involving the Toronto Police Service resulted in a public interest settlement that requires the Toronto Police Service to make major changes to policies for effectively dealing with trans people in their custody (Waterman v. Toronto Police Service, Toronto Police Services Board and Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services).
  • The OHRC’s Policy on preventing discrimination because of gender identity and gender expression and advice to the government led to the development and implementation of a new inclusive Ontario Public Service (OPS) policy on gender identity and sex information on public-facing government products and forms. The Minister of Government and Consumer Services launched the policy publicly at the 519 Church Street Community Centre on May 1, 2017 to a very receptive audience of 50 stakeholders.

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Section 5: Strategic directions and implementation plan

The OHRC’s Strategic Plan identifies four priorities and proposes key areas of work to focus on:

Strategic focus areas

  • Reconciliation: Embody human rights by engaging in sustaining trusting relationships with Indigenous communities that are built on dignity and respect, and by working to advance reconciliation and substantive equality.
  • Criminal justice system: Enforce human rights and reduce systemic discrimination by seeking accountability in the criminal justice system.
  • Poverty: Advance the field of human rights law by making clear how systemic discrimination causes and sustains poverty, and addressing poverty within a human rights framework.
  • Education: Promote and strengthen a human rights culture in Ontario that encompasses both rights and responsibilities, with a special focus on educating children and youth and addressing systemic discrimination in our education system.

Strategic Priority

Implementation Plan

Reconciliation

  • Building our internal capacity to be a credible, trustworthy and knowledgeable agent to advance reconciliation and equality
  • Recognizing and reflecting the historical and enduring ways that colonialism continues to affect Indigenous peoples and communities and continues to shape our institutions and systems
  • Enhancing our knowledge and understanding of current issues and needs affecting Indigenous peoples and communities
  • Engaging our Commissioners and senior leaders in dialogue with Indigenous leaders and communities to form sustainable and trusting relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in urban and rural areas throughout Ontario, while acknowledging their status as nations
  • Deepening our analysis and understanding of human rights through reconciliation with Indigenous cultures, laws, concepts of collective community rights and responsibilities, treaties, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  • Engaging in collaboration with Indigenous communities and groups to respond to and address systemic racism, discrimination and inequality
  • Leveraging the opportunities presented through government commitments to reconciliation

Criminal justice system

  • Leveraging current government-led initiatives related to the criminal justice system to make sure that systemic discrimination is acknowledged and addressed
  • Engaging strategically with efforts currently underway to address racial profiling in policing
  • Using our promotion and education functions to make sure that the legal profession and judiciary are able to identify and challenge systemic discrimination
  • Using our public inquiry functions strategically to highlight the lived experience of people who come into contact with these systems
  • Activating our powers to intervene and initiate applications before the HRTO, courts and other tribunals to further transparency and accountability
  • Monitoring, enforcing and reporting on compliance with human rights obligations and policies in these systems
 

Poverty

  • Bringing to light the lived reality of people who experience poverty, homelessness and hunger, and stimulating public conversations that explore the links between poverty and systemic discrimination.
  • Exposing to the public and human rights “duty holders” how poverty further entrenches marginalization and vulnerability
  • Using our expertise in policy research and development to deepen policy, legal analysis and understanding of human rights by making connections between Ontario’s human rights framework and international human rights conventions and treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
  • Using our expertise in policy research and development to deepen analysis and understanding of ways that seemingly neutral systems intersect to create, amplify and accelerate dynamics of systemic discrimination, economic marginalization and social exclusion
  • Bringing a human rights lens to government and community strategies aimed at addressing poverty, homelessness and hunger

Education

  • Taking steps to have human rights integrated as an essential aspect of Ontario’s education system
  • Conducting targeted public education with children and youth about human rights and responsibilities and the human rights system
  • Providing opportunities for children and youth to exercise leadership on human rights issues
  • Strategically engaging with and leveraging social media communications
  • Identifying and addressing the systemic discrimination children and youth face in education

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Section 6: Human Capital Plan

Human resources

The OHRC has relatively low staff turnover, resulting in a stable workforce. No significant human resources changes are anticipated in the next three years. The OHRC follows all Ontario Public Service (OPS) directives and guidelines relating to human resources practices, and continues to work with the Ministry of the Attorney General to meet all applicable administrative standards.

Commissioners

Part-time Commission Members

Tenure

From

To

Lee, Julie

08-Sep-2009

07-Mar-2018

Mendes, Errol

08-Sep-2009

07-Mar-2018

Gusella, Mary

24-Feb-2016

24-Nov-2019

Switzer, Maurice

22-Jun-2016

21-Jun-2018

Drake, Karen

22-Jun-2016

21-Jun-2019

McKenzie, Kwame

22-Jun-2016

21-Jun-2019

Porter, Bruce

30-Jun-2016

29-Jun-2019

Khedr, Rabia

28-Sep-2016

27-Sep-2018

Tchatat, Léonie-Françoise

02-Feb-2017

01-Feb-2019

Renu Mandhane was appointed as the OHRC’s Chief Commissioner on October 30, 2015 to an initial two-year term. She has since been reappointed to a three-year term, effective October 30, 2017. The Chief Commissioner is the only full-time appointee, and oversees a complement of nine part-time Commissioner appointees (as of December 31, 2017).

Employees

Representation category

Actual FTE positions

Funded FTE positions

Classified

Unclassified

Classified

Unclassified

ALOC

4

2

6

1

AMAPCEO

12

5

21

0

MCP

3

1

4

0

OIC

1

0

1

0

OPSEU

7

4

15

0

SMG

2

0

2

0

TOTAL STAFF

29

12

49

1

TEMPORARY

1

 

Organization Chart

Office of the Chief Commissioner
  • Chief Commissioner
  • Executive Advisor
  • Administrative Scheduling Coordinator (Des)
  • Executive Director
Office of the Executive Director
  • Executive Assistant
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Chief Administrative Officer - Centralized Corporate Services
  • Manager - Communication and Issues Management
  • Director - Policy, Education, Monitoring and Outreach
  • Manager - Legal Services and Inquiries
Centralized Corporate Services
  • Chief Administrative Officer
  • Financial Analyst
  • IT Team Lead
  • Tech Support Analyst
  • Web Administrator Developer
  • Network Specialist
  • Project Web Lead
  • Coordinator, Administrative Services
  • Administrative Clerk (2)
Communication and Issues Management
  • Manager
  • Issues Media Relations Officer (Des)
  • Senior Communications Officer
  • Information Officer (1)  (1 Des)
  • Special Events Coordinator
  • Analyst Issues Coordinator
  • Correspondence Coordinator
Policy, Education, Monitoring and Outreach
  • Director
  • Administrative Assistant
  • Senior Policy Analyst (5) (1 Des)
  • Human Rights Education and Change Specialist (1) (1 Des)
  • Public Education Outreach Officer (2)
  • Electronic Education Specialist
Legal Services and Inquiries
  • Manager
  • Counsel (6)
  • Legal Administrative Secretary
  • Inquiry Analyst (3) (1 Des)
  • Articling Student

Initiatives:

Increase workforce flexibility and mobility
  • Issues management process and internal communications plan/strategy developed and implemented
  • Established transparent governance structure with clearly defined roles, responsibilities and decision-making process
  • Created interdisciplinary teams to facilitate work on OHRC projects/initiatives/strategic focus areas across branches
  • Used connective technologies (VPN access, OWA, Activesync) to communicate and coordinate responses to emerging issues, even while away from the office
  • More flexible work arrangements including compressed work weeks and flexible work schedules and arrangements.
Develop leadership, management and professional skills
  • Supported staff development, training and career development opportunities
  • Organized staff “lunch and learns” on a variety of topics
  • Planned and organized all-staff training days to provide updates on strategic focus areas and focused learning related to strategic priorities
  • Planned and organized joint Commissioner and staff training related to strategic priorities
  • Continued succession planning to meet future operational needs
  • Provided orientation training for new staff and Commissioners
  • Management was available to provide coaching and mentorship
  • Employee Engagement Survey – working on/implementing a strategy to address areas of concern (Employee Engagement Plan). 
Employer of choice
  • Enabling a stable, effective and focused workforce
  • Diversity and Inclusion Plans
  • Accessibility Plan
  • Fair and equitable recruitment processes
  • Employee engagement activities.

Human capital goals:

Our staff and leadership are integral to the success of the OHRC. Over the next three years, we will focus on strengthening our workplace culture and environment. We will seek to improve personal and organizational well-being and connectedness through: 

  • Ensuring that each staff member feels valued and recognized for their efforts
  • Fostering teamwork and collaboration through interdisciplinary teams
  • Making sure that each staff member is able to identify the connection between their role and achieving the organization’s vision
  • Creating a culture of accountability with management and staff
  • Effective leadership and transparent decision-making
  • Promoting employee engagement by organizing more all-staff meetings and training events, developed based on needs surveys and evaluation results, potluck lunches, teambuilding/group activities, and maintaining a staff suggestion box
  • Providing weekly opportunities for staff to gather in an informal way
  • Providing more opportunities for staff involvement in the processes for identifying issues and business planning (more invested in business outcomes).

The OHRC values personal and professional development, diversity and inclusion, and work-life balance. Some of the initiatives we have undertaken to promote these values are:

Personal and professional development – As part of the onboarding process, managers provide orientation and training to new staff to help familiarize them with their roles and accompanying expectations. Throughout the course of their careers at the OHRC, staff are encouraged to take courses offered by OPS Learning and Development, and budget permitting, external courses related to their professional development plans. Management also makes every effort to allow staff to pursue secondment opportunities within the OPS and broader public sector, and is available to provide coaching and mentorship.

Diversity and inclusion – The OHRC has a diverse workforce. At present, we have slightly more staff that identify as females than as males, ranging in age from 25 to 65, and that reflects various racial backgrounds, creeds and countries of origin. Many of our staff members have worked in different fields before joining the OHRC (e.g. social work, for-profit and non-profit organizations). This diversity is also reflected in our OIC appointments. Our Commissioners come from diverse backgrounds representing Code-protected groups and from a variety of professional backgrounds: legal, academic, non-profit, social justice, mental health and human rights policy. 

We strive to create a positive work environment, built on respect and understanding, where diverse ideas, perspectives and backgrounds can be harnessed to allow us to have a comprehensive understanding of issues and to produce high quality work.

Work-life balance – OHRC management makes a conscious effort to accommodate staff needs. Arrangements such as flexible work hours and compressed work weeks are made available in accordance with OPS human resources policies.

Human capital challenges:
The OHRC anticipates achieving its programs and activities with a staff compliment of approximately 49 funded full-time equivalent positions and an annual average budget in each of the four years of $5.365 million for capital and staffing expenses.

Budget pressures – Due to anticipated budget pressures, the OHRC will have to be more selective with how it chooses to implement its strategic plan. As a result of resource limitations, the OHRC will be more selective with its education and outreach activities, and rely more on online instructional tools like webinars for a province-wide reach, as well as leveraging the Community Advisory Group members (as well as Commissioners) and their networks. The establishment of the OHRC Community Advisory Group will assist in maintaining a two-way relationship with key communities across Ontario. As well, the OHRC will endeavor to facilitate greater engagement by the Chief Commissioner with local community leaders and community organizations by combining Taking It Local (province-wide) human rights training days with Chief Commissioner province-wide tours. 

Initiatives undertaken to address:

  • Meetings with senior management and Commissioners are held to prioritize initiatives/activities and identify ways to reduce costs (e.g. through partnerships with other organizations)
  • The OHRC obtains feedback from the community through “Taking it Local” events, community tours and from its Community Advisory Group members, as well as through other community consultations and engagement activities. Insights gained through these avenues are used to inform decision-making.

Concerns from staff regarding branches operating in silos – The OHRC conducted an employee survey that revealed some staff felt that they lacked meaningful opportunities to work across branches and to be aware of all OHRC work and initiatives. 

Initiatives undertaken to address:

  • As part of its employee engagement planning, the OHRC has committed to holding more regular all-staff meetings, training events and team building activities. Interdisciplinary teams in each of the focus areas of the Strategic Plan have been established. 

Resource needs for OHRC’s priorities:

Communications and Issues Management team:

To develop and disseminate key institutional messages to our target audiences in a clear and meaningful way. The communications team supports the Chief Commissioner, Executive Director, Policy and Legal teams as the voice of the OHRC. The communications team is responsible for the appropriate content, production and distribution of materials produced by the OHRC, coordinating events, managing media relations, analyzing and supporting the public image of the Commission through issues management. The team also acts as the OHRC’s first point of contact for media, public and policy-related inquiries while providing information to the public on the OHRC’s work and progress in achieving its strategic objectives. 

Current workforce: The OHRC’s Communications and Issues Management Unit is proficient in using various communication mediums, including social media, the OHRC website, webinars, and print materials to deliver our message to the public. The Chief Commissioner serves as the OHRC’s public face and spokesperson, bringing attention to human rights issues through social media, press interviews, official letters, newspaper articles and blog posts, as well as public speeches. The unit supports the efforts of the Chief Commissioner.

3-year outlook: The OHRC will focus on building competency and capacity through continuous learning and development (e.g. keep up to date with emerging technologies and methods) while continuing to monitor social media and implement concerted communication strategies and social media best practices. With the rise in social media platforms, the OHRC has branched out to using new platforms that can gain new audiences and interact with them. The OHRC is now on Instagram and has begun live-streaming events, with the intention of attracting various demographics to the OHRC’s work.

The communications team has also begun to analyze the impact of our various social media. This includes using analytics reports that show how wide our reach is and what social media success looks like for the OHRC.

Policy, Education, Monitoring and Outreach team:

To develop and interpret human rights policy, monitor human rights concerns in society and government, build and maintain relationships with our stakeholder communities, cultivate partnerships that align with our strategic priorities, and educate the public and stakeholders on their rights and responsibilities under the Code.

Current workforce: The OHRC’s Policy, Education, Monitoring and Outreach branch develops and promotes human rights policy and guidelines, monitors human rights in proposed legislation and society, and provides human rights outreach, education and training, including developing electronic education tools. Staff work with the Chief Commissioner to build relationships with our stakeholder communities (e.g. Indigenous peoples), gain input and insight into the issues that affect these communities, and work with stakeholders to promote, protect and advance human rights across Ontario.

3-year outlook: The OHRC will continue to build competency and capacity through ongoing learning and development. Budget permitting, the OHRC will look to fill an additional public education officer position to expand its public education and outreach efforts, and will aim to build data gathering and analysis capacity.    

Legal and Inquiry team:

To provide legal and inquiry services to support the OHRC’s strategic priority focus areas.

Current workforce: The OHRC employs a group of senior lawyers with strong backgrounds in human rights, who are supported by junior lawyers and an articling student. The legal team provides legal advice to the Chief Commissioner and Executive Director, leads public interest inquiries under the Code, and represents the OHRC at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the courts, and other tribunals. The legal team helps the OHRC to advance human rights law and establish human rights precedents. The OHRC plans to retain a balance of senior and junior lawyers to support succession planning. The senior lawyers mentor the junior lawyers. Lawyers are required to fulfill their annual continuing professional development requirements as members of the Law Society of Upper Canada.  

The OHRC legal team includes Inquiry Analysts who lead or support human rights public interest inquiries under section 31 of the Human Rights Code. The OHRC will support Inquiry Analysts to enhance learning and skills development (e.g. collecting and analyzing data) to conduct effective public interest inquiries.

Strong leadership:

To guide the organization towards achieving its business objectives and realizing its vision.   

Current workforce: The OHRC has an Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel, Chief Commissioner, and Commissioners who work with senior managers to provide leadership to the organization. Collectively, they make decisions on where to focus efforts and assign resources to best fulfill our strategic objectives.

3-year outlook: The OHRC has no plans to expand its management team, but supports ongoing learning and development.

Corporate administration team:

To support the OHRC in achieving its business objectives by managing the organization’s financial, information technology, and human
resource needs.

Current workforce: The OHRC has a Chief Administrative Officer who manages a team of administrative, financial, information technology and human resources staff that provide support to program areas. The branch oversees the OHRC’s budget and accounting, reports to the Ministry of the Attorney General on financial matters, and facilitates the procurement of goods and services. The team helps managers prepare and process human resources documents, provides advice on human resources issues and/or directs managers to the appropriate channels. The team also manages the OHRC’s computer systems and equipment, coordinates software and hardware updates, and provides IT support and troubleshooting services to program areas.

3-year outlook: The OHRC will continue to build competency and capacity through ongoing learning and development.

Strategy for the future: To effectively deliver on our strategic priorities, the OHRC may require staff with advanced knowledge of qualitative and quantitative data analysis, to support an evidence-based approach to our work. The OHRC also plans to build the capacity of our staff, conduct large and complex inquiries under the Code, and as a result, may require staff with investigative knowledge and experience. As we implement the Operational Plan to support the new strategic priorities, we will focus on aligning resources with our business priorities, and identify and address any resource gaps along the way.

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Section 7: Information Technology (IT)/Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Plan

The OHRC is a systemic human rights body that maintains a website complete with human rights information and resources. Resources include policies and guidelines, research documents, curriculum supports, brochures, and a variety of eLearning content. The website is also used as a link to surveys in support of OHRC policy consultation and research activities, and contains a public education request form that can be directly submitted online.

In the coming year, efforts will be made to review and enhance the website and its functions to the public. Also, the OHRC will release a new eLearning module entitled Calling it out: Racism, racial discrimination and human rights, and is updating its foundational eLearning product, Human Rights 101. The OHRC is also identifying and developing eLearning products aimed at supporting strategic priority activities in the areas of Indigenous human rights and reconciliation, and education.

The OHRC also maintains a major social media presence. @OntHumanRights is on several platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The OHRC has recently begun to livestream press conferences, talks and events. During a press conference to announce our Inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination by the Toronto Police Service in November 2017, the OHRC was trending on Twitter in both Ontario and in Canada, at various times. This is in line with the strategic priority of providing practical guidance to facilitate duty holders’ compliance with human rights obligations.

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Section 8: Initiatives Involving Third Parties

The OHRC leverages its mandated functions, resources and strategic priorities by exchanging information and working in cooperation with or in partnership with other government agencies, ministries, non-governmental organizations and individuals from a wide range of communities across Ontario.

On July 8, 2017, the OHRC and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC) signed an agreement with the ultimate goal of ending anti-Indigenous discrimination in Ontario. This agreement sets the stage for future collaboration with urban Indigenous communities that is based on trust, dignity, respect, and a shared commitment to reconciliation and substantive equality. Under this agreement, the OFIFC and OHRC will work together to build the capacity and human rights knowledge of OFIFC and Friendship Centre staff, share information and data, engage with urban Indigenous people on policy development, and coordinate provincial advocacy in key areas such as health care, child welfare and criminal justice. This agreement reflects the OHRC’s commitment to engage with Indigenous leaders and communities on common issues and concerns. It will connect the OHRC with the nearly two-thirds of Indigenous people who live in urban areas and are protected from discrimination in housing, employment and services under the Code. Friendship Centres are the primary service delivery agents for Indigenous people seeking culturally sensitive and culturally appropriate services in urban communities.

Also, the OHRC has begun discussions with the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) to move towards a partnership agreement. At its All Ontario Chiefs Conference held at Lac Seul First Nation in June 2017 the Chiefs passed a motion approving efforts to establish joint activities and further collaboration with the OHRC. Currently, the two organizations are engaged in efforts to coordinate on communications activity, develop a knowledge Forum for Chiefs, and possibly formalize a partnership agreement.

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Section 9: Communication Plan

The OHRC will focus on communicating broadly, clearly and in a timely way to provide effective leadership that advances the realization of human rights. The OHRC will speak out, especially on issues relating to its focus areas in the Strategic Plan, about the impact of discrimination and the importance of accountability for human rights compliance. The OHRC will retain capacity to respond strategically to critical and emerging issues across all Code grounds and social areas. The OHRC has developed a social media and communication strategy to raise public awareness of our messages through new platforms. We are also working towards updating our website.

Key Objectives

  • Communicate clearly, transparently and regularly using an improved weekly issues management process
  • Develop and integrate communications strategies as early as possible in all initiatives
  • Leverage our leadership voice, relationships and profile with key individuals and organizations particularly in our areas of strategic focus
  • Improve our profile in traditional and social media through active monitoring and establishing a more streamlined process for generating proactive and reactive key messages
  • Enhance tracking for public information requests to document trends and identify opportunities for improving information relevant to policies.

Target Audiences

The OHRC’s aim is to target its communication and education to employers and service providers, Code-protected groups, key community leaders, potential respondent community groups, as well as government ministries and agencies. 

Key Messages

It is critical for our stakeholders and the public to be able to communicate with the OHRC. The OHRC has created a communication strategy that includes a plan for engaging with the public, primarily through social media and our leadership voice. Our target audience includes all Ontarians, especially people who fall within our priority areas: reconciliation, criminal justice system, poverty and education. The OHRC interacts with members of the media through press releases, interview requests, media pitches, social media, opinion editorials and targeted product launches. The communication team has come up with templated key message documents that present examples and issues that equip the Chief Commissioner and Commissioners to speak in a unified voice about issues that the OHRC has taken on and are of interest to the public and media.

The communication plan also includes materials that meet accessibility requirements by different users, including people with visual or hearing disabilities.

Key Opportunities, Dates and Deliverables

Leveraging opportunities by planning public activities, and monitoring day-to-day responses to emerging issues, through an effective issues management system.

Emerging human rights issues are identified through media monitoring, stakeholders, advisory groups, Commissioners, government initiatives including legislation and regulations, cases of interest at the HRTO, HRLSC or in the courts.

Public presence includes media, community relations activities, issuing public statements, news releases, speeches, backgrounders, fact sheets, brochures or other handouts, videos, eLearning modules, public consultations, launches of reports and policies, public inquiries and legal interventions, and other OHRC public awareness and outreach activities. The OHRC also maintains an active social media presence on popular platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, YouTube and Instagram.

In accordance with the requirements of the Code, the OHRC released its annual report for submission by June 30 each year to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

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Section 10: Diversity and Inclusion Plan

The OHRC’s diversity and inclusion plan sets out four goals, and outlines the actions we are taking to achieve them.

People: The OHRC’s Commissioners, senior management and staff reflect the diversity of Ontario, and generally exceed the diversity data of both the Ontario Public Service and the population of Ontario. Our employment competitions are advertised broadly beyond traditional mainstream media. The OHRC follows the French Language Services Act requirements and has designated French staff for each area that has contact with the public.

Processes: The OHRC adheres to all applicable policies and legislation including the Ontario Public Service’s Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Policy

Policy: The OHRC abides by the requirements of the Employment Accommodation and Return to Work Operating Policy, the Equal Opportunity Operating Policy, the Code of Ethics, and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Services: The OHRC informs employees, clients and the general public about its commitment to accommodate disability, creed and other Code-related needs at meetings and events upon request. The OHRC chooses meeting and event sites and refreshments that are inclusive and barrier free, and provides sign language interpreters or captioning at general public events or upon request. Our website fulfills prevailing standards for accessibility, and we will continue to look for ways to improve it.

Results: The OHRC will continue to strive to have its staff reflect the diverse population of Ontario, at all levels including individuals from the Indigenous community.

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Section 11: Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

The OHRC has prepared a multi-year accessibility plan in accordance with the regulated standards and other requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The OHRC interprets these requirements in accordance with the duty to accommodate disability under the Human Rights Code and the OHRC’s mandate-related public policies, having regard for the Ontario Public Service’s Multi-year Accessibility Plan, as well as the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Barrier Review, Removal and Accessibility Planning

Since 2014, after an internal accessibility review to identify barriers that may exist for employees and members of the public with disabilities, the OHRC has the following in place:

  • Staff email signatures include information about the OHRC’s policy on providing goods and services to people with disabilities
  • Accessible telephone script to connect the public with OHRC staff as quickly as possible; and an accessible public telephone our office lobby
  • Accessible private quiet room for staff and visitors who require a space because of illness or a disability, or other appropriate needs, such as creed accommodation or breastfeeding
  • Provides opportunity for participant feedback at the end of education and training sessions to learn whether participant accommodation needs were met and how to improve accessibility
  • Provides documents in accessible formats internally and externally
  • Conducts periodic inclusive design reviews of its offices to address any accessibility issues for visitors and employees with disabilities, with support from the Ministry of the Attorney General’s facilities branch
  • Accessible lighting in its boardrooms
  • Between 2018 and 2019, the OHRC will conduct an accessibility review of barriers and emerging best practices for the way it makes information available to the public, including an external review of its website
  • Regularly reviews software and information storage systems to identify and address any barriers in consultation with employees with disabilities.

AODA Standards Implementation Status

Customer service
  • The OHRC adheres to its policies and procedures on providing goods and services to people with disabilities as published on its website
  • The OHRC provides local and toll-free TTY numbers for communication with people who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing
  • The OHRC uses a range of communication methods such as email and social media platforms to communicate with stakeholders and communities
  • All OHRC-hosted public events take place at accessible locations. The OHRC’s Special Events Coordinator visits each proposed event space to make sure that it is fully accessible
  • Standard language on all invitations asks people to contact the OHRC about their need for any additional accommodation before event dates
  • A feedback process is available on the OHRC’s website. People can also provide feedback via telephone, TTY, mail or fax. The OHRC will review the feedback, try to resolve any issues and provide a response within 14 business days.
Procurement
  • The OHRC continues to comply with the OPS Guidelines: Meeting Accessibility Obligations in Procurement and the Management Board of Cabinet Procurement Directive, December 2014, as well as AODA regulated procurement standards
  • The OHRC identifies accessibility requirements in project terms of reference, requests for proposals and contracts with third-party service providers
  • Web developers and any other external vendors are selected, in part, based on their experience designing accessible websites and other products.
Information and communication
  • The OHRC provides communication supports including sign language interpretation and captioning at public events; and on request for other
    meetings and events
  • The OHRC’s website is designed to comply with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA; tools and products used to develop the website and other online materials have built-in accessibility features
    • Online materials, such as eLearning modules, are tested regularly during development and afterward by staff and external contacts who have disabilities
    • All publications and correspondence are available in accessible digital formats, including HTML and accessible PDFs for all new publications
    • Captioning and transcripts are provided for all video content.
Employment
  • The OHRC follows the OPS Employee Accommodation and Return to Work Guidelines and Operating Policy for developing and documenting individual accommodation plans, return-to-work plans and workplace emergency response information for employees with disabilities
  • Hiring managers inform prospective employees about the means for testing and evaluating candidates and that accommodations are available throughout the process
  • The OHRC is a scent-sensitive workplace.
Accessibility training
  • All Commissioners and staff are trained on disability-related policies and procedures, including AODA mandatory training on providing accessible customer service to persons with disabilities, and on the relationship between the AODA and the Code. The OHRC developed the Working Together eLearning module for the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario for this purpose
  • The OHRC has an internal guide on plain language writing and uses it to train staff
  • Staff receive specialized training on emerging technologies, designing accessible eLearning modules, and other topics to improve the accessibility of the OHRC’s online resources.

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Section 12: Three-year financial plan

The OHRC complies with all applicable Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet and Ministry of Finance Directives concerning financial and administrative matters.

The OHRC is responsible for the commitments made in its approved business plan, and for ensuring that the actions it takes to fulfill its statutory mandate reflect and respect the rule of law.

Also, the OHRC is accountable to the Legislative Assembly through its annual reports, and to the Attorney General through regular financial and administrative reporting.

Three-year financial plan

The OHRC’s operating budget is expected to decrease over the next three years, while human rights issues increase in complexity and public profile. In spite of these fiscal challenges, the OHRC will work to meet its objectives within existing resource levels by managing position vacancies through attrition and improvements in operational efficiency (e.g. responsibilities of vacated positions absorbed by existing staff); reassessing job descriptions against current program requirements and if appropriate, rewriting and reclassifying certain positions; greater use of electronic/online-based resources to facilitate communication (e.g. social media, OHRC website, electronic policy documents – reduce printing costs; webinars, teleconferencing – reduce travel costs); ensuring that all procurements (e.g. supply orders, printing) are carried out with value and necessity in mind; reducing office supply orders by implementing stricter inventory control measures; using internal resources to perform some previously outsourced tasks (e.g. designing policy materials and related materials for public distribution); prioritizing initiatives, adjusting the scale of certain initiatives, and partnering with other organizations to make projects more economically viable; using the most cost-effective modes of transportation when travelling for business (e.g. train/fleet vehicles instead of airfare); negotiating pricing with suppliers where possible (e.g. catering, expert witness fees).

2016-17 Actual Expenditures

Expense category

2016-17
Budget

2016-17
Actuals

Explanation of variance

Operating

 

 

 

Salaries and Wages (S&W)

4,761.2

3,975.9

The OHRC managed position vacancies to cover costs in other areas identified at the start of the year (i.e. Benefits, Services, Supplies & Equipment).

Certain vacated positions were not filled/back-filled due to shifting organizational priorities, improvements in operational efficiency and the prospect of further budget constraints.

Other vacated positions remained unfilled for a period of time due to lengthy recruitment processes to find replacements.

Benefits

362.2

441.0

The assigned allocation for benefits is lower than the actual amount required to support staffed positions.

ODOE

 

 

 

Transportation and Communications (T&C)

193.2

161.0

In 2016-17 the OHRC focused on ways to reduce its travel costs by using electronic/online resources such as eLearning, webinars, social media, and teleconferencing to communicate with its stakeholders.

Services

307.4

621.0

In an effort to fulfill its public education mandate and ensure that its literature is accessible to all communities, the OHRC devotes significant resources to creating and producing new policy documents, guidelines and other educational materials in various formats and languages.

OHRC Commissioners receive per diems for the work they perform on behalf of the OHRC. These per diems are paid through Services.

In 2016-17, the OHRC was involved in complex discrimination cases, which in some instances required the use of expert witnesses to support OHRC positions. These experts must be paid at market rates. 

The OHRC retained Management Consulting services in 2016-17 to develop a five-year Strategic Plan.

The OHRC procured Research and Polling services in 2016-17 to conduct a public opinion survey on how Ontarians perceive and experience equality rights under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.

In 2016-17, the OHRC contracted services to develop an eLearning module on racism and racial discrimination. 

The OHRC has its own IT systems, including directory domain, exchange and file servers. In 2016-17, four servers had been operating beyond their intended life cycle and needed to be replaced.

Supplies and Equipment (S&E)

28.2

116.7

Services incorrectly coded to Supplies and Equipment (by Ontario Shared Services), when paid by p-card, resulted in this variance.

TOTAL Operating

5,652.5

5,315.6

 

Multi-Year Operating Budget

Expense category

2017-18
Budget

2017-18
Q3 forecast

Explanation of variance

2018-19
Budget

2019-20
Budget

2020-21
Budget

OPERATING

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salaries and Wages (S&W)

4,682.1

3,893.6

The OHRC is managing position vacancies to cover costs in other areas identified at the start of the year (i.e. Benefits, Transportation & Communication, Services, Supplies & Equipment).

Certain vacated positions were not filled/backfilled due to shifting organizational priorities, improvements in operational efficiency and the prospect of further budget constraints.

Other vacated positions remained unfilled for a period of time due to lengthy recruitment processes to find replacements.

 

 

 

Benefits

362.2

481.4

The assigned allocation for benefits is lower than the actual amount required to support staffed positions.

 

 

 

ODOE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Transportation and Communications (T&C)

193.2

186.4

The OHRC is focussing on ways to reduce its travel costs by using electronic/online resources such as eLearning, webinars, social media, and teleconferencing to communicate with its stakeholders.

However, much of these savings have been redirected to our Indigenous outreach efforts. Many communities are located in remote areas, and travel to those areas can be costly.

The OHRC developed a strategic plan in 2016-17 that identified four key areas of focus (reconciliation, criminal justice, poverty, education). To determine how to best fulfill its commitments under this new plan, the OHRC has established a Community Advisory Group consisting of select representatives from each of these focus areas. There will be significant travel costs to bring this group together in a two-day summit.

 

 

 

Services

296.5

666.2

Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous communities involves relationship building, the foundation of which is trust and respect. The tradition of offering honorariums when meeting with Indigenous communities is a symbol of trust and respect, and will be used along with displays of hospitality to form lasting, productive relationships. Also, as part of our reconciliation efforts, the OHRC is organizing a dialogue to discuss Indigenous issues and their intersections with human rights. Costs are associated with hosting and bringing in academics and community members to speak at this event.

Enforcing human rights and reducing systemic discrimination in the criminal justice system involves complex litigation, which will in some cases necessitate the use of expert witnesses. These experts must be paid at market rates.  

Establishing evidentiary connections between systemic discrimination and poverty requires the purchase of data and statistics from reputable sources (Statistics Canada).

To promote a human rights culture in Ontario through public education and the education system, the OHRC must ensure that its literature is accessible to all people and communities. There are significant costs to produce documents in various formats and languages.

The OHRC conducted a public opinion survey in 2016-17 which included a detailed report of the findings. Production costs were involved in getting this report ready for public consumption.

The OHRC required consulting services to facilitate a two-day summit it held to meet with and garner feedback from its Community Advisory Group members.

The OHRC employs a news clipping service to identify articles/broadcasts/social media of interest/relevance. The OHRC requires this service to stay informed of critical and emerging issues at the forefront of the human rights debate. 

The OHRC occasionally uses a newswire service to bring the media’s attention to its work.

The OHRC’s public information/communication tools including its website, social media networks and telephone line need to be updated regularly to meet evolving consumer needs, including accessibility. This year, the OHRC is planning extensive updates to its website.    

The OHRC is planning updates to its HR 101 eLearning Module.

OHRC Commissioners receive per diems for the work they perform on behalf of the OHRC. These per diems are paid through Services. Implementing the OHRC's new strategic plan has required greater Commissioner involvement and consultation in 2017-18.

The OHRC has its own IT systems, including directory domain, exchange and file servers. Four servers had been operating beyond their intended life cycle and were replaced in 2016-17. These servers will be paid for over the next five years.                                                                                                                            

 

 

 

Supplies and Equipment (S&E)

28.2

78.4

The OHRC incurs significant costs to produce new policy documents, guidelines and other educational materials for public distribution (e.g. printing, translations, document remediation).

Also, Services incorrectly coded to Supplies and Equipment (by Ontario Shared Services), when paid by p-card, contribute to this variance.

 

 

 

TOTAL OPERATING

5,562.2

5,306.0

 

5,474.1

5,383.7

5,301.4

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Section 13: Performance measures and targets

The following are examples of the many key performance indicators (KPIs) that the OHRC will use to guide its work.

1 – Reconciliation

KPI

Strategic objectives

Outcomes (2018-19)

Measurements (2018-19)

Strengthened knowledge about and behaviours regarding human rights protections under the Code

  • Building internal capacity to be a credible, trustworthy and knowledgeable institution to advance Indigenous reconciliation and equality
  • Enhancing our knowledge and understanding of current human rights issues affecting Indigenous peoples
  • Staff and Commissioners have a greater understanding of Indigenous issues
  • Deep understanding of Indigenous reconciliation and equality is reflected throughout our work
  • Greater public discourse on the Code issues facing Indigenous peoples
  • Qualitative survey of staff and Commissioners
  • Public opinion survey on human rights (which will also serve as a benchmark for future surveys)
  • # of internal training events 

Improved awareness of and experience with OHRC

  • Engaging our Commissioners and senior leaders in dialogue with Indigenous leaders and communities to form sustainable and trusting relationships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in urban and rural areas throughout Ontario, while acknowledging their status as nations
  • Strategic relationships with Indigenous leaders and communities identified, established and maintained
  • Increased presence/visibility in dialogue about reconciliation at the leadership level
  • # of meetings with and at Indigenous communities across Ontario
  • # of OHRC speeches and public education sessions for and with Indigenous communities
  • # of references to OHRC work by Indigenous peoples
  • # of participants and # of organizations reached
 

2 – Criminal justice

KPI

Strategic objectives

Outcomes (2018-19)

Measurements (2018-19)

Strong and transparent human rights accountability systems within the criminal justice system, which ensure that human rights obligations are put at the forefront of initiatives and practices

  • Using our promotion and education functions to make sure that the legal profession and judiciary are able to identify and challenge systemic discrimination
  • Using our public inquiry functions strategically to highlight the lived experience of people who come into contact with these systems
  • Activating our powers to intervene and initiate applications before the HRTO, courts and other tribunals to further transparency and accountability
  • Monitoring, enforcing and reporting on compliance with human rights obligations and policies in these systems
  • Increased OHRC capacity to collect, analyze and interpret quantitative and qualitative data
  • Improved collection of data about and evidence of systemic discrimination regarding racial profiling
  • # of OHRC-initiated applications and interventions related to criminal justice
  • # of systemic remedies obtained
  • # of human rights public education and training opportunities developed and delivered for legal professionals, law enforcement and correctional authorities
  • # of institutions impacted by OHRC interventions and applications at HRTO
  • # of media hits/inquiries/interviews referencing OHRC in relation to criminal justice issues

Strengthened protection for human rights in government laws and policies

  • Leveraging current government-led initiatives related to the criminal justice system to make sure that systemic discrimination is acknowledged and addressed
  • Engaging strategically with efforts currently underway to address racial profiling in policing
  • Government initiatives reflect a human rights lens
  • # of OHRC recommendations to government (submitted/adopted)
  • # of institutions impacted by letters/deputations/
    submissions/reports making recommendations
 

3 – Poverty

KPI

Strategic objectives

Outcomes (2018-19)

Measurements (2018-19)

  1. Strengthened knowledge about and behaviours relating to human rights protections under the Code
  2. Strengthened knowledge, behaviours and accountabilities relating to human rights obligations among human rights duty holders and within systems/institutions
  • Using our expertise in policy research and development to deepen analysis and understanding of ways that seemingly neutral systems intersect to create, amplify and accelerate dynamics of systemic discrimination, economic marginalization
  • Increased knowledge and understanding among OHRC staff and Commissioners
  • Narrative shift connecting human rights and poverty
  • Internal report on current government and non-governmental poverty-related initiatives Analytical framework that reconciles Ontario’s human rights system with Canada’s international human rights obligations related to poverty, hunger and homelessness
  • Qualitative survey of staff and Commissioners
  • # of research/consultation/policy events and # of organizations and # of individuals reached through these events
  • Internal report initiated on current government and non-governmental poverty-related initiatives

4 – Education

KPI

Strategic Objectives

Outcomes (2018-19)

Measurements (2018-19)

Strengthened knowledge about and behaviours relating to human rights protections under the Code

  • Taking steps to have human rights integrated as an essential aspect of Ontario’s education system
  • Human rights are part of the education curriculum
  • Human rights competence identified as essential requirement
  • Increased accountability for systemic discrimination that children and youth face within the education system
  • Environmental scan developed
  • Plan of action developed and adopted
  • # of education/training/outreach events and
    # of organizations and  individuals reached
  • # of social media and Website unique visits to education modules