2. Talk to the person or organization

If an employer, landlord, , or  provider is discriminating against you, you can encourage them to follow the Human Rights Code. You can try explaining the law to them or get someone else to help you explain it.

You could show them information about the Human Rights Code. The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has a lot of helpful information on their website.

Take notes about any discussions you have. It's best to make the notes when things happen while you still remember them well. You can email the notes to yourself to help to prove the date that you made the notes.

Keep copies of any emails, text messages, or other written communications you have with the employer, landlord, union, or service provider.

You can also ask a friend or someone else to go with you when you meet with them. That person can be a witness to what happened or what was said.

Get legal help

It's a good idea to get legal advice before speaking to your employer, landlord, union, or service provider. You can contact the Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) for free legal advice and information.

The HRLSC can help you figure out:

  • if your situation might be 
  • if there are things you can do to get 
  • whether to make a claim with the  of Ontario
  • what might help you prove the discrimination

The HRLSC can sometimes help people apply to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

You can also check out the HRLSC's online tool Can we help you? to see if you might be able to make a claim.

Legal clinics

Community legal clinics provide free legal services to people with low incomes. Legal clinics may be able to help you if you think you have been discriminated against. To find a legal clinic in your area, you can search by your postal code. Or you can call Legal Aid Ontario at 1-800-668-8258. TTY users can call 1-866-641-8867.

There are also specialty clinics for people throughout Ontario that:

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