Human rights tribunal dismisses northern Ont. man's complaint about pronoun use
In what appears to be a less-than-serious complaint, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has dismissed a complaint levied against the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit related to pronoun use.
The appeal "alleges discrimination with respect to disability, contrary to the Human Rights Code," the tribunal said in its decision.
"Specifically, the applicant alleged that the respondent discriminated against them when they did not choose to use their preferred pronouns of 'scab/retard.'"
The tribunal informed the man the complaint didn't seem to include any actual allegations of discrimination.
"The narrative setting out the incidents of alleged discrimination failed to identify any specific acts of discrimination within the meaning of the Code allegedly committed by the respondent," the tribunal said.
The use of personal pronouns has become more prevalent in recent years as ideas of gender have evolved. In March 2021, the tribunal awarded more than $30,000 to employees of a bar where the owner refused to use the they/them pronouns.
In this case, however, the tribunal said that simply claiming discrimination is not enough.
"To fall within the tribunal’s jurisdiction, an applicant must provide some factual basis beyond a bald assertion which links their ground(s) to the respondent’s actions and explains why they think that these actions are discriminatory in nature," the tribunal wrote in its decision.
"In the application, the applicant states that they wrote to the respondent regarding their policy on the use of pronouns, asking if they would refer to him as 'scab/retard' in a union context. The respondent declined to adopt these pronouns indicating that their 'organizational policies and procedures reflect the values of inclusive, safe and respectful language.'"
Read the full decision here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.