Our Campaign for Strong, Effective Implementation of the AODA
ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT ALLIANCE UPDATE
EMAIL THE HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL TO SUPPORT THE AODA ALLIANCE BRIEF REGARDING THE TRIBUNAL’S PROPOSED RULES OF PROCEDURE
April 15, 2008
SUMMARY
Please take a minute to send a short email to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, to support the AODA Alliance brief, which raises concerns about the Tribunal’s proposed new rules of procedure. If the Tribunal adopts these rules, any discrimination victim will have to obey them to present a discrimination case. Our brief identifies serious problems with these proposed rules. It makes constructive suggestions on how to fix these problems:
- These rules are very user-unfriendly. A discrimination victim will need a lawyer to cope.
- These rules make it harder to file a discrimination case than under the old human rights system, and harder than filing a court case.
- These rules don’t ensure that the Tribunal will operate in a fully accessible, barrier-free way.
- These rules fly in the face of one of the McGuinty Government’s key promises. The Government promised that every discrimination victim would get a hearing on their case. Yet these rules let the Tribunal refuse to deal with a case at the outset, acting behind closed doors, without any hearing if the discrimination victim’s application form isn’t “complete.” The rules also let the Tribunal direct that a case will be decided at a “written hearing,” not at a hearing in person that the discrimination victim can attend.
- These rules give the Tribunal sweeping, excessive, unnecessary powers, like the power to set hearing dates without even consulting the parties, the power to indefinitely defer a case, and the power to selectively exempt a party from having to obey the rules. They let the Tribunal block you from being able to present all the relevant witnesses you need to prove your case.
Please email the Tribunal today. You can write to the Tribunal at: Christine.Dion@ontario.ca
It’s best to use your own words. If you don’t have much time, then it would be great to simply say: “I support the concerns regarding the Human Rights Tribunal’s proposed rules of procedure, set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance brief.” It would also be great if you send the same message to Ontario’s Attorney General Chris Bentley at: attorneygeneral@ontario.ca
Even though the Tribunal’s deadline for feedback has passed, it is important for as many people as possible to write. Please get others to do the same. You can read our brief at: http://www.aodaalliance.org/strong-effective-aoda/03282008.asp
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