Discrimination in the workplace, in housing, or in accessing services is illegal in Ontario, and you have the right to challenge it. Ontario's Human Rights Code protects people from discrimination and harassment in employment, housing, services and facilities, and contracts.
"Most people who've experienced discrimination don't know they can do something about it, or they assume the process is out of reach. It isn't. The HRTO was designed to be accessible, and the remedies are real."
Protected Grounds
Discrimination is only actionable under the Code if it's connected to a protected ground: disability, race & ethnicity, gender & gender identity, pregnancy & family status, religion & creed, sexual orientation, age, place of origin, marital status, receipt of public assistance, and record of offences.
Where Discrimination Happens
- Workplace & Employment. Fired because of your disability or pregnancy. Passed over for promotion due to your race or religion. The most common context for HRTO applications. Often overlaps with our employment law practice.
- Housing & Landlords. Refused as a tenant, evicted, or subjected to different lease terms because of your race, disability, family status, or religion.
- Services & Facilities. Denied access to a service or treated differently by a business because of a protected ground.
- Police & Government. Carded, stopped, or treated with excessive force because of your race or other protected characteristic.
The Duty to Accommodate
Employers, landlords, and service providers have a legal obligation to adjust their rules, practices, or physical spaces to meet the needs of people with protected characteristics, up to the point of undue hardship. "Undue hardship" is a high bar, vague claims of inconvenience don't qualify. The Ontario Human Rights Commission publishes detailed guidance on the duty to accommodate.
"The duty to accommodate is not optional, and 'it's our policy' is not a defence. If a policy has a discriminatory effect, the Code requires the respondent to change it."
The HRTO Process
You must file your HRTO application within one year of the last incident of discrimination, this is a hard deadline. The process goes: filing → response from respondent → mediation (many cases settle here) → hearing → decision & remedies. For broader civil claims, see our civil litigation page.
What Remedies Can the HRTO Award?
- Compensation for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect (ranging from thousands to tens of thousands)
- Lost wages and income
- Reinstatement to your job
- Policy and practice changes at the organization
- Public interest remedies for systemic discrimination