This morning the Human Rights Commission formally launched its “Policy on Preventing Discrimination based on Mental Health Disabilities and Addictions.”  The policy is the product of many years’ work and flows directly from the Commission report, “Minds That Matter:  Report on the consultation on human rights, mental health and addictions”, a report, released in 2012, that made 54 recommendations in the areas of government, housing employment and services.

This morning’s launch at Ryerson University saw people from a range of organizations gather with Chief Commissioner, Barbara Hall, and her colleagues to celebrate the work that has gone into the Policy and to promote the Policy’s integration into the day‑to‑day work of housing providers, employers and service providers.

The Policy will be a welcome addition to our toolkit to help our clients as they grapple with their obligations under the Human Rights Code.   As the policy itself says: “The ultimate responsibility for maintaining an environment free from discrimination and harassment rests with employers, housing providers, service providers and other responsible parties covered by the Code. It is not acceptable to choose to stay unaware of discrimination or harassment of a person with a mental health disability or addiction, whether or not a human rights claim has been made.”

To ensure that you stay on top of this important policy development, see more on the OHRC website and wait for further postings on this blog.

Filed in: Human Rights

Tags: Addictions, Discrimination, Mental health, Ontario Human Rights Code