Ontario Human Rights Code

The Ontario Human Rights Code is a law in the Canadian province of Ontario that gives all people equal rights and opportunities without discrimination in specific areas such as housing and services. The Code's goal is to prevent discrimination and harassment because of race, colour, gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, disability, creed, age and other grounds.

The Ontario Human Rights Code was the first law of its kind in Canada. Before June 15, 1962, various laws dealt with different kinds of discrimination. The Code brought them together into one law and added some new protections.

The Ontario Human Rights Code took effect on June 15, 1962, and it was the first Human Rights Code of its kind in Canada. June 15 was chosen as the proclamation date for the Human Rights Code because it was the 747th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta.

The Ontario Human Rights Code of 1962 replaced the province’s existing anti-discrimination legislation, including:

At the same time that the Ontario Human Rights Commission was created, the government of the day, led by Premier Leslie Frost introduced an amendment to the Fair Accommodation Practices Act to prohibit discrimination because of race, colour or creed in the renting of apartments in buildings which contain more than 6 units.

The Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination on the following grounds:

The Ontario Human Rights Code was amended on June 19, 2012 to add Gender Identity and Gender Expression to the list of prohibited grounds. The last ground added to the Code is sexual orientation which was added in December 1986.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) is the administrative, quasi-judicial tribunal tasked with hearing complaints that the Code has been violated. It has the power to grant damages and specific performance to remedy discriminatory acts. The HRTO is subject to judicial review by the Divisional Court of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

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