Human Rights Law in Ontario

Departing from Previous Cases – A Step in the Right Direction

The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal recently awarded $75,000.00 as general damages, signalling that human rights damages are on the rise – and it’s about time.

In Kelly v. University of British Columbia (No. 4), Adjudicator Enid Marion, considered a case in which Kelly, who possessed a medical degree, was unable to complete his medical residency at the University of British Columbia and was ultimately terminated from the program, in part due to his disabilities – ADHD and a non-verbal learning disability. Due to his termination from the program, Kelly found it very difficult to find other work. After all, why would someone with a medical degree be looking for jobs other than physician positions?

In an earlier decision, the Tribunal found that UBC had discriminated against Kelly and failed to accommodate his disabilities. As a result, he was reinstated into the residency program, approximately six years after he had been terminated. In the decision on remedy, the Tribunal ordered lost wages for what Kelly would have earned had he been accommodated in the first instance. Over a six year period, this amount totalled $385,194.70. This should not be surprising to anyone. Human rights remedial principles are intended to make those experiencing discrimination “whole”, or to put them in the position they would have been in had they not experienced discrimination. Physicians earn significant incomes. Kelly’s full income potential was delayed by approximately six years and this amounted to a large lost wages award.

The true significance of this decision however is the high general damage award – $75,000.00 for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect. The Tribunal stated at paragraph 101:

…it is relevant and principled to consider that Dr. Kelly was pursuing an almost life-long desire to become a physician and that the loss of that opportunity had a serious and detrimental impact on him, particularly within the context of his family dynamics. (His father was a physician and Kelly intended on working with him). Dr. Kelly suffered deep humiliation and embarrassment as a result of the discrimination, which was ongoing for a significant period of time. He experienced symptoms of depression, including a lack of interest in life, trouble sleeping, and other health-related problems.

There is no question that the general damage award in this case departs from  the general trend in human rights. General damages in Ontario typically range between $10,000.00 to $20,000.00 (with the majority of decision-makers awarding $15,000.00). There will be those who argue that a $75,000.00 award, well above the average, is uncalled for in a case where Kelly was reinstated into the program, successfully completed it and became employed as a physician. While many will criticize the decision for departing from the established trend and previous cases, perhaps it is the established trend and previous cases that should be criticized.

$10,000.00, $15,000.00 and $20,000.00 cannot be said to be more than a “slap on the wrist” for most large organizations. Admittedly, it is difficult to quantify the harm caused by discrimination, but awards should not be so low that they are seen as a licensing fee to discriminate. General damages should adequately compensate those who have experienced discrimination. Larger awards like this one will certainly impact companies and frankly, they should. Maybe employers will think twice in the future and start to take human rights more seriously.

We can only hope that Ontario will follow suit and move away from the unwritten $15,000.00 standard. In the last year, Ontario has signaled that it may be willing to follow British Columbia’s lead (see Fair v. Hamilton Wentworth District School Board, 2013 HRTO 440 where the Ontario Tribunal ordered $30,000.00 in general damages).

Citation

Kelly v. University of British Columbia, 2013 BCHRT 302 (Click here for a full copy of the decision)