Glossary
In Criminal Law, Human Rights, Wills and Powers of Attorney
These letters are a short form for the following words:
2S – Two-Spirit
L – Lesbian
G – Gay
B – Bisexual
T – Transgender
Q – Queer
+ – other terms not in this list
In Employment and Work, Health and Disability, Housing Law, Human Rights, Income Assistance, Tribunals and Courts
Accommodate means making changes to how things are done so that a person is not treated differently based on their personal characteristics. These characteristics are called protected grounds.
There are 17 protected grounds in Ontario’s Human Rights Code. These include ethnic origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, and disability.
The following groups must provide accommodation: employers, landlords, service providers, unions, and professional associations. But they may not have to if they can prove that the accommodation will cause them undue hardship.
In Employment and Work, Health and Disability, Housing Law, Human Rights, Income Assistance, Tribunals and Courts
Accommodate means making changes to how things are done so that a person is not treated differently based on their personal characteristics. These characteristics are called protected grounds.
There are 17 protected grounds in Ontario’s Human Rights Code. These include ethnic origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, and disability.
The following groups must provide accommodation: employers, landlords, service providers, unions, and professional associations. But they may not have to if they can prove that the accommodation will cause them undue hardship.
In Abuse and Family Violence, Elder abuse, Human Rights, Types of discrimination, Age
Ageism refers to negative attitudes and stereotypes of people who are older, and discrimination against people because of their age.
For example, it’s ageism if:
- an employer does not hire someone because the person is older and the employer thinks the person has less value than a younger worker
- a health-care practitioner talks to an older adult’s family member or caregiver when the person is mentally capable of deciding about their own treatment
A way to start a case at a court or tribunal, or to ask a court or tribunal to make a decision about a dispute. For example, if a landlord wants a tenant to move out and the tenant does not move, the landlord can make an application to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Or if a tenant cannot get their landlord to do needed repairs, the tenant can make an application to the Board. Application can also refer to the actual form or document used to start a case.
In Employment and Work, Housing Law, Human Rights
In Ontario’s human rights laws, the term disability includes many conditions. For example, a disability can be a physical condition, a mental condition, a learning disability, a developmental disability, or a mental illness. Disability also includes being addicted to or dependent on drugs or alcohol.
You could be born with a disability. Or, you could have a disability because you were sick or injured.
In Employment and Work, Housing Law, Human Rights, Income Assistance, Tribunals and Courts
The law says that you cannot be discriminated against:
- in employment and housing
- when you buy or receive items and services
- when you make a contract
- by your union or professional association
Discrimination happens when you’re treated unfairly because of protected grounds, also called personal characteristics. Ontario’s Human Rights Code lists 17 protected grounds that include ethnic origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, family status, and disability.
Tell or force a tenant to move out. A Notice of Termination from a landlord is often called an eviction notice, even though it does not force the tenant to move out. A Landlord and Tenant Board order forcing a tenant to move out is often called an eviction order.
In Employment and Work, Discrimination at work
Family status refers to a relationship that’s like that between a parent and a child. It can include similar relationships where you take care of and are responsible for someone and are committed to doing that.
Here are some examples:
- a foster parent caring for a foster child
- a brother caring for a sister with a disability
- an aunt raising her niece
In Human Rights
Gender expression is how someone outwardly expresses and presents their gender. For example, people can do this through their name, pronouns, behaviour, and clothes.