Human Rights Legal Support Centre

05/11/2026

Do you have human rights expertise and a passion for fighting discrimination? Are you able to litigate in French and English before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO)? If this sounds like you—or someone you know— check out our new job posting for a full-time permanent Bilingual Legal Counsel.

Read more here:
https://hrlsc.on.ca/about-us/careers/

Be sure to apply before June 1 at 9:00 am!

05/05/2026

Harassment and discrimination based on Indigenous ancestry or race, and/or other intersecting grounds such as s*x, s*xual orientation, gender identity, or expression, are prohibited under the Ontario Human Rights Code. If you’re experiencing discrimination or harassment on any such grounds at work, in housing, or when accessing services—including policing—you may be facing Code-based discrimination.

The Indigenous Services and Outreach Committee at the Human Rights Legal Support Centre offers Indigenous-led legal advice and support. Call 416-597-4900 or 1-866-625-5179 (toll-free), then press 4.

https://hrlsc.on.ca/indigenous-services/

Today we recognize Red Dress Day, which honours and brings awareness to the Indigenous women and girls who have been subject to disproportionate violence in Canada. Inspired by the work of Métis artist Jaime Black, creator of the REDress Project, empty red dresses are hung in public spaces as a stark reminder of those who have been lost or worn to show support.

Learn more: https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/video/red-dress-2025-eng.aspx

04/02/2026

The HRLSC has successfully completed its planned technology upgrades, and our systems are now back online!

WHAT’S NEW:
• The HRLSC’s client portal site can now be accessed at a new link: ctt.cp.hrlsc.on.ca Please be sure to update your website links.
• HRLSC Staff have transitioned to a new email format and clients may receive emails from staff addresses that look a little different. However, please note, emails sent to previous staff email addresses will still be received, and non-staff emails such as [email protected] remain the same.

03/31/2026

Trans people continue to face barriers in employment, services, housing, and other everyday interactions. International Trans Day of Visibility is a reminder of the importance of protecting the rights to dignity, safety, and equal treatment.

When businesses refuse service because of a person’s gender identify or gender expression, that can be discrimination under Ontario’s Human Rights Code.

In the HRLSC’s case of A.B. v. Mad Wax Windsor, the HRTO concluded that Code-related discrimination and harassment had occurred after a trans woman was demeaned, denied routine leg wax and then later harassed through a press release issued by the waxing salon owner.

➡️Read more about this case here: https://hrlsc.on.ca/waxing-services/

If you’ve experienced discrimination based on gender identity or expression, we can help: hrlsc.on.ca

03/31/2026

Indigenous languages carry teachings, laws, identity, and connection to land — but many have been critically endangered due to colonial policies in Canada which punished generations of Indigenous children and their families for speaking their languages.

The day now aligns with the UN International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032), recognizing that more than half of the world’s Indigenous languages could disappear by the end of this century.

Across Canada, more than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken, each representing entire systems of knowledge and meaning.
While language isn’t specifically mentioned in Ontario’s Human Rights Code, language has been recognized as a key characteristic of protected grounds like place of origin, ethnic origin and ancestry.

If you identify as First Nations, Inuit, or Métis and have experienced discrimination linked to identity, culture, or language, we can help. With our Indigenous services phone line, you can speak with an Indigenous staff member for culturally informed support and human rights advice:
➡️ https://www.hrlsc.on.ca/services-indigenous-peoples

As part of our work to support access to Ontario’s human rights system the HRLSC offers its services in 140 languages including Cree, Oji-Cree, Mohawk, and Ojibway.

03/26/2026

Reminder: The HRLSC is closed Friday, March 27th while it completes planned technology upgrades to improve the reliability, security, and accessibility of our services.

This means the Client Portal is unavailable from Thursday, March 26 at 5 PM until Monday, March 30 at 8 AM, when it will be accessed by a new link.

Additionally, emails sent to staff during this time may not be received or responded to until after the update is complete.

For more information, see our FAQ here: https://hrlsc.on.ca/faq/hrlsc-temporary-service-and-communications-outage-march-26-30-2026/

03/20/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT: The HRLSC will be closed Friday March 27th while it completes planned technology upgrades to improve the reliability, security, and accessibility of our services.

This means the Client Portal will be unavailable from Thursday, March 26 at 5 PM until Monday, March 30 at 8 AM, when it will be accessed by a new link.

Additionally, emails sent to staff during this time may not be received or responded to until after the update is complete.

Updates and information about this transition will be posted on our website at https://hrlsc.on.ca/faq/hrlsc-temporary-service-and-communications-outage-march-26-30-2026/

03/20/2026

March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination serves as a reminder that racial discrimination still affects people in many areas of life, including work, housing, policing, education, and access to services. The United Nations continues to call on institutions worldwide to strengthen efforts to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms.

In a recent Ontario human rights case involving the OPP a Black senior who was forcefully arrested after calling police for help. The HRLSC helped Kinglsey Reid reach with his human rights claim and ultimately negotiate a settlement.

➡️Read more here: https://hrlsc.on.ca/media-posts/black-senior-reaches-settlement-with-opp-in-case-of-alleged-racial-profiling/

If you believe you’ve been treated differently because of your race, ancestry, colour or related prohibited grounds in services or interactions with authorities, or other social areas (like housing or in a workplace) we can help: hrlsc.on.ca.

As part of our work to support access to Ontario’s human rights system the HRLSC also offers its services in 140 languages including Cree, Oji-Cree, Mohawk, and Ojibway.

03/09/2026

Experiencing gender based harassment or discrimination at work is not “part of the job.”

This International Women’s Day the HRLSC is highlighting two recent human rights cases involving a tech company showing how persistent gender based harassment continue to affect workers in the new digital economy — and that Ontario’s Human Rights Code protects employees from this conduct.

Read more about how the HRLSC was able to support clients facing gender and s*x-based discrimination at a local tech company:
➡️ https://hrlsc.on.ca/data-scientific/ and
➡️ https://hrlsc.on.ca/lam-data-scientific/

If you’re facing discrimination based on gender, pregnancy, family status, or s*xual harassment in your workplace, we can help. Learn more at hrlsc.on.ca

02/27/2026

The Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) has released its 2024–2025 Annual Report, highlighting major legal victories and a new five-year Strategic Plan to help strengthen access to justice for vulnerable Ontarians facing discrimination and harassment.

Nearly 24,000 callers sought assistance, and the HRLSC represented almost 300 Ontarians at the Human Rights Tribunal’s (HRTO) hearings and mediations, with landmark outcomes resulting in lasting public impact.

LEARN MORE about our key wins and centre achievements: https://hrlsc.on.ca/media-posts/hrlsc-releases-2024-2025-annual-report/