Papers and reports

People, power, progress, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) 2019 – 2020 Annual Report, provides qualitative and quantitative information that tracks our progress in meeting the commitments set out in our 2017–22 Strategic Plan, Putting people and their rights at the centre.

This report summarizes the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) findings and human rights concerns about the conditions of confinement at Toronto South Detention Centre (TSDC).

This report summarizes the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) observations and recommendations on the issues of homelessness and drug addiction in Kenora, Ontario. Under section 29 of the Ontario Human Rights Code, the OHRC can initiate reviews and inquiries and make recommendations related to incidents of tension or conflict in a community.

Foundation of freedom, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) 2018 - 2019 Annual Report, provides qualitative and quantitative information that tracks our progress in meeting the commitments set out in our 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, Putting people and their rights at the centre. View PDF: Foundation of freedom  

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) recognizes that a strategic, meaningful, consistent, accessible and sustainable approach to stakeholder engagement strengthens its mandate to promote and enforce Ontario’s Human Rights Code (Code). In 2017, the OHRC established a new Community Advisory Group (CAG) under section 31.5 of the Code. In 2018, the OHRC approved a new Community Engagement Strategy, Communities for change, and released the Strategy along with its 2017 Inaugural Community Advisory Group Summit Report. The OHRC remains committed to the core activities outlined in Communities for change. This report offers highlights of our engagements with CAG members throughout the year, including during our second annual CAG summit.

In November 2017, the OHRC launched its inquiry into racial profiling and racial discrimination of Black persons by the TPS to help build trust between the police and Black communities. The goal of the inquiry was to pinpoint problem areas and make recommendations. This Interim Report describes what the OHRC has done to date. It provides findings relating to SIU investigations of police use of force resulting in serious injury or death, describes the lived experiences of Black individuals, and offers highlights of legal decisions.

This report summarizes key points of the discussion and recommendations arising from the three-day Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights Dialogue. It features the collective wisdom of Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers, academics, political and government leaders, advocates, lawyers, policy makers and activists. Representatives of the OHRC, Human Rights Legal Support Centre, Social Justice Tribunals of Ontario, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission also took part.

This report charts the OHRC’s progress in creating a culture of human rights accountability. It provides an update on our work to achieve the goals set out in our 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, Putting People and their Rights at the Centre, which focuses on Indigenous reconciliation, the criminal justice system, poverty and education—areas where even small shifts in the landscape can have an exponential impact.

In 2015-2016, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) undertook a strategic planning process that involved extensive conversations with nearly 300 people representing over 80 organizations across Ontario. By far, the strongest theme that emerged was the need to implement a strategic, meaningful, consistent, accessible and sustainable approach to stakeholder engagement. 

When child welfare authorities remove children from their caregivers because of concerns about abuse or neglect, it can be traumatic and tragic for everyone involved – children, their families and even their communities. Being admitted into care comes with far-reaching consequences that can have a negative impact on children’s future ability to thrive. It is an unfortunate reality that some children need to be placed in care to keep them safe. But too often, for First Nations, Métis, Inuit, Black and other racialized families, being involved with the child welfare system and having a child removed is fraught with concerns that the system is not meeting their or their children’s needs, is harmful, and may be discriminatory.