5. Learn more about making a human rights claim
Question and answer
I have a disability. What are my rights at work?If you think an employer has discriminated against you because you have a , you can apply to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
The Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) or a community legal clinic can also help you make a claim to the .
The Tribunal can decide if an employer has discriminated against you.
It's important to understand the steps in making a claim at the Tribunal.
You can also learn more about starting a claim in the HRLSC's Completing and Filing an HRTO Application.
What the Tribunal can do
If the Tribunal decides that an employer discriminated against you, there are things the Tribunal can order the employer to do.
For example, the Tribunal can order the employer to:
- pay you money
- give you the you need
- give you your job back
- change their policies so they follow human rights laws
But the Tribunal rarely orders an employer to give you back your job.
Money that your employer may have to pay
You can ask for money to replace:
- money that you lost because of what your employer did, for example, you did not get because you were fired
- costs that you had to spend because of what the employer did, for example, if you had to move to find a new job
You can also ask for money because of how the employer's actions affected you.
When an employer does not respect your human rights, this can hurt you. The Tribunal can order the employer to pay you money for the hurt they caused you.
You do not have to show that their actions cost you money.
What to say in your application
In your , you say:
- what happened
- why you think the employer's decision is against your human rights
- what you want the Tribunal to do
Time limits
The deadline to apply to the Tribunal is one year from the date you were discriminated against.
If you miss the deadline, you can still apply. But in your application, you need to explain why you're applying late.
If you have a good reason, the Tribunal can decide to let you apply late. For example, you might not have been able to apply on time because you were in the hospital.
But the Tribunal rarely lets people apply late. You should always try to apply before the one-year deadline.