How Canadian human rights law actually works
Each province has a Human Rights Code, supplemented by the Canadian Human Rights Act for federally regulated employers. Protected grounds include disability, race, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, age, citizenship, place of origin, marital status, and receipt of public assistance. The Code applies to employment, housing, services, contracts, and union membership. The relevant tribunal in Ontario is HRTO, with parallel bodies in other provinces.
The accommodation duty
Employers, landlords, and service providers have a duty to accommodate Code-protected needs up to the point of undue hardship, considering health, safety, and cost. The duty includes a procedural component (genuine engagement with the request) and a substantive component (actual accommodation if reasonable). Failure on either side is actionable. Disability accommodation is the most common, and the most commonly mishandled.
Remedies the tribunal can award
HRTO and equivalent bodies can order monetary compensation for lost wages and expenses, damages for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect, reinstatement, system-wide remedies (training, policy changes), public interest orders, and apologies. Damages for injury to dignity have trended upward, with awards routinely in the $15,000 to $50,000 range for clear discrimination, higher for egregious or repeated conduct.
Timelines and limits
HRTO applications must generally be filed within one year of the most recent incident, with limited discretion to extend. Federal Human Rights Commission complaints have a similar one-year window. Move quickly. The remedy is strongest when the file is fresh and the documentary record is preserved.
Costs and how human rights lawyers charge
HRTO does not generally award costs to either party, which changes the economics. Many human rights lawyers run on hourly retainers; some take strong cases on contingency. Initial consultations are usually low-cost or free. Where a tribunal complaint runs alongside a wrongful dismissal or civil claim, total costs can be coordinated.