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Age

Age is a protected ground under the Code, This means that you cannot be discriminated against because of your age where you work or live, or go to get a service. In the Code, age is defined as being 18 years or older, or age 16 or older in housing if you have withdrawn from parental control.

Some special programs and benefits, such as seniors’ discounts or youth employment programs, exist to address genuine age-related needs. However, when you are unjustifiably treated differently because of your age, that's age discrimination

Relevant policy:

  1. Commission appeals advance human rights law (fact sheet)

    June 2006 - Over the past ten years, the Commission has been involved in 72 judicial review decisions, 32 decisions on appeal at the Divisional Court, 40 decisions from the Court of Appeal, and 17 from the Supreme Court of Canada. As of March 31, 2006, the Commission was litigating 462 cases at the Tribunal, eight cases before the Divisional Court, three in the Ontario Court of Appeal, and two before the Supreme Court of Canada.

  2. OHRC Insurance consultation cover letter

    October 14, 1999 - Insurance practices routinely make distinctions based on, among other things, gender, age, marital status and disability. While many of these distinctions are based on valid business practices, others raise questions and concerns. These concerns relate to the existence of non-discriminatory alternatives to current practices and about respect for human rights.

  3. Age discrimination (brochure)

    2012 - The Ontario Human Rights Code protects people from discrimination under the ground of age. The Code defines age as 18 years or older. However, persons age 16 or older are also protected from discrimination in housing if they are not living with their parents. This means that people cannot discriminate against you because of your age where you work or live, or when providing services.

  4. OHRC successfully challenges restrictions to benefits for workers aged 65+

    May 31, 2018

    Toronto – The OHRC intervened in Talos v Grand Erie District School Board to challenge the provision of Ontario’s Human Rights Code that allowed employers to cut or reduce benefits to workers aged 65 and over. The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario found that subsection 25(2.1) of the Code, as well as related provisions in the Employment Standards Act and its regulations, amount to age discrimination and violate the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

  5. Letter to the Minister of Health on Bioethics Table recommendations and proposed framework for a COVID-19 triage protocol

    October 30, 2020

    On October 16, 2020, the OHRC wrote to the Minister of Health raising concerns about the proposed framework for a COVID-19 triage protocol to allocate limited critical care services in a potential major surge in COVID-19 cases. Read the letter.

  6. Letter to Minister of Health to follow up on Bioethics Table recommendations and proposed framework for a COVID-19 triage protocol

    November 6, 2020

    I am writing to follow up on my letter to you dated October 16, 2020, about the COVID-19 Bioethics Table’s recommendations and proposed framework for a triage protocol to allocate limited critical care services in a potential major surge in COVID-19 cases.

  7. OHRC statement for National Housing Day November 22: Accessible housing makes social, economic sense

    November 22, 2020

    On National Housing Day, the OHRC calls on the Province to amend Ontario’s Building Code Regulation to require all units in new construction or major renovation of multi-unit residences to fully meet universal accessibility standards. The OHRC also calls on municipalities to prioritize universal design construction, consistent with their obligations under the Code. Government and housing providers must work together to make sure that new developments are fully inclusive, because Ontarians deserve no less.

  8. General (Retired) Rick Hillier’s response to OHRC’s call for human rights considerations in COVID-19 vaccine distribution planning

    February 8, 2021

    On December 10, 2020, Chief Commissioner Ena Chadha wrote to General (Retired) Rick Hillier and the Vaccine Distribution Task Force to stress the important role that human rights principles, considerations and obligations should play in vaccine distribution planning.

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