Goods, services and facilities

1. Guidelines on developing human rights policies and procedures

   June 1996 - The purpose of this publication is to provide some practical guidance to organizations in developing effective and fair ways to prevent human rights infringements and to respond to human rights issues, such as harassment, discrimination, and accommodation needs. Employers, landlords and service providers all have an obligation to ensure that human rights are respected, and can all benefit from the information provided in this publication.

2. Equal access for to education for students with disabilities: Ontario Human Rights Commission commitments

   2003 - Under section 29 of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has a mandate to forward human rights policy through education, monitoring, communication, research, inquiries and initiating investigations.

3. Education funding for students with disabilities

   2003 - In 1998, the provincial government introduced a new funding formula for Ontario’s publicly-funded elementary and secondary school system. Under the new system, school boards no longer have the power to generate resources through taxation, and therefore depend on government grants to run the education system. Funding remains a major issue in ensuring that education is accessible at the post-secondary level. Increases in tuition fees have particular implications for students with disabilities whose educational costs may be significantly higher, and who, in many cases, are unable to hold down a part-time job to ease these costs.

4. Submission Of The Ontario Human Rights Commission to the Toronto District School Board Safe And Compassionate Schools Task Force

   April 2004 - The Commission is pleased to have the opportunity to make this public submission to the Toronto District School Board’s Safe and Compassionate Schools Task Force. The Commission makes this submission in accordance with its previously stated intent to examine the concern that the Safe Schools Act and related school board policies are having a discriminatory effect on racialized students and students with disabilities.

5. Health care, institutions & services

   From: Time for action: Advancing human rights for older Ontarians

   “Basic health care is a foundation in our society and differences are never justifiable. Seniors’ needs are real and they surely deserve easy access to basic health care in the same manner afforded to other groups in Ontario.”
   (Chatham-Kent CCAC)

6. Elder care

   From: Time for action: Advancing human rights for older Ontarians

   The Commission heard that elder care is a growing need, and largely provided in the community by family members. As well, the gendered nature of elder care and the disproportionate burden that women face in caring for aging relatives was noted. Consultees described the stress caused by caring for older persons and the need for efforts to address caregiver stress.

7. 7. Goods, services and facilities

   From: Policy on discrimination against older people because of age

   Section 1 of the Code prohibits age discrimination in "services, goods and facilities". This includes but is not limited to educational institutions, hospitals and other health services, community care access centres, long-term care facilities, insurance providers, public places like malls and parks, public transit services, stores and restaurants.

   Older persons have a right to the same level and quality of services as everyone else and service providers have a legal responsibility to ensure accessibility, subject to the undue hardship standard.

8. XI. Services

   From: Policy and guidelines on discrimination because of family status

   Section 1 of the Code prohibits discrimination on the basis of family status in services, goods and facilities. This includes, but is not limited to, educational institutions, hospitals, public transit services, social services, public places like malls and parks, and stores and restaurants.

9. Learning and teaching – working with the education sector

   From: Annual Report 2010-2011: Looking back, moving forward

   Every student in Ontario needs to have opportunities to learn and succeed. This does not happen when students are suspended because of mental illness beyond their control, or can’t take the courses they need because they use a wheelchair and the school does not have an elevator, or they are disciplined for not following the dress code because they wear a hijab in accordance with their creed, or they are bullied for being lesbian, gay or transgendered.

10. Appendix A - Mount Sinai Hospital

    From: Count me in! Collecting human rights-based data

    Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) is a large patient care, teaching and research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. Since 2007, Media Corp Inc. has named MSH one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers. MSH seeks to be a national leader in all of its diversity and human rights programs, and to have a staff team that reflects the diverse patients they serve.

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