Balancing Charter Rights

17. September 2019 0
Where Charter values are engaged in an administrative decision, Charter values do not have to be perfectly balanced; however other avenues and options must be considered in order for the decision to be justifiable, transparent and intelligible. Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Elections Officer – Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Discrimination – Judicial review – ...

The Appellants (several physicians and physician groups in Ontario) were unsuccessful in appealing a decision of the Divisional Court. The Appellants had applied to the Divisional Court to challenge the constitutionality of policies enacted by the Respondent, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, which required physicians to provide an “effective referral” when they had a religious objection to providing a medical service (e.g. abortion, medical assistance in dying, etc.).

16. July 2019 0
Administrative law – Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Freedom of Religion – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Judicial review – Appeals – Physicians and surgeons – Statutory provisions – Public interest Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada v. College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, [2019] O.J. No. 2515, 2019 ONCA 393, Ontario Court ...

The Appellant, Envirocon Environmental Services ULC, successfully appealed a Chambers decision. The Chambers Judge had refused to interfere with the Tribunal’s application of the legal test for indirect or adverse effect discrimination. The Court of Appeal held the Tribunal’s decision was patently unreasonable.

16. April 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human rights tribunal – Discrimination – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Correctness – Patent unreasonableness – Employment – Termination of employment Envirocon Environmental Services ULC v. Suen, [2019] B.C.J. No. 146, 2019 BCCA 46, British Columbia Court of Appeal, February 5, 2019, S.D. Frankel, S. Stromberg-Stein ...

The petitioner hospital was unsuccessful on judicial review in setting aside the decision of the Human Rights Tribunal to not summarily dismiss a human rights complaint as having no reasonable prospect of success under section 27(1) of the Human Rights Code. The complaint was for alleged discrimination by the hospital on the grounds of mental and physical disability in relation to the provision of services. The court found that the complaint had some prospect of success and that the Tribunal’s decision was not patently unreasonable. The court rejected the argument that the Tribunal was not in a position to second-guess the exercise of professional medical judgment by the hospital staff in the provision of services, absent discrimination.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Tribunal – Discrimination – Disability – Judicial review – Jurisdiction – Standard of review – Patent unreasonableness – Practice and procedure – Summary proceedings Hospital v. J.R. (Litigation guardian of), [2018] B.C.J. No. 3731, 2018 BCSC 2079, British Columbia Supreme Court, November 26, 2018, L.W. Bernard J. ...

The applicant, a prospective RCMP candidate, was successful on judicial review in setting aside a Human Rights Commission’s decision dismissing his complaint that the RCMP discriminated against him based on his medical condition. The court found the Commission failed to conduct a neutral investigation and breached its duty of fairness, and also failed to apply the correct legal test when assessing the complaint.

19. February 2019 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Commission – Discrimination – Disability – Judicial review – Procedural requirements and fairness – Test – Standard of review – Correctness – Professions – Police Boychyn v. Canada (Royal Canadian Mounted Police), [2018] F.C.J. No. 1203, 2018 FC 1185, Ontario Federal Court, November 27, 2018, S.S. Ahmed ...

Ontario Court quashes City of Hamilton’s decision to remove political party’s discriminatory, anti-transgender bus-stop ads due to failure to consider the party’s Charter right to free speech

18. December 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Municipal councils – Judicial review – Natural justice – Procedural requirements and fairness – Standard of review – Reasonableness – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Gender Christian Heritage Party of Canada v. Hamilton (City), [2018] O.J. No. 5105, 2018 ONSC 3690, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, October 4, ...

This case considers the appropriateness of advancing new arguments on judicial review, not considered by the original decision-maker, and how the court ought to address those issues. The appellant in this case advanced new Charter arguments that were first raised with the Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal concluded it would be inappropriate for it to hear these arguments for the first time without a complete factual record. The matter was remitted back to a new panel for consideration.

21. August 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Tribunal – Judicial review – Appeals – Procedural requirements and fairness – Standard of review – Correctness – Human rights complaints – Religion – Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Discrimination Webber Academy Foundation v. Alberta (Human Rights Commission Director), [2018] A.J. No. 689, 2018 ABCA 207, ...

The Appellant, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (the “Association”), successfully appealed a decision from a Chambers Judge in the Supreme Court of BC. The Chambers Judge had granted an application for judicial review made by the Respondent, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (the “Network”), in relation to a BC Human Rights Tribunal decision. In the result, the BC Court of Appeal reinstated the earlier decision of the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which had dismissed the Network’s complaint against the Association.

19. June 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Tribunal – Discrimination – Race – Judicial review – Appeals – Standard of review – Correctness – Reasonableness Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users v. British Columbia (Human Rights Tribunal), [2018] B.C.J. No. 644, 2018 BCCA 132, British Columbia Court of Appeal, April 11, 2018, H. Groberman, ...

Major League Baseball’s application for judicial review to set aside an interim decision of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and to dismiss or stay the proceedings was dismissed on the grounds of prematurity

20. March 2018 0
Administrative law – Decisions reviewed – Human Rights Tribunal – Jurisdiction – Human rights complaints – Discrimination – Judicial review – Premature Major League Baseball v. Cardinal, [2018] O.J. No. 469, 2018 ONSC 714, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, January 30, 2018, Kiteley, Linhares de Sousa, Pattillo JJ. Douglas Cardinal, an Anishnaabe elder, commenced an ...

Supreme Court of Canada affirms BC Human Rights Tribunal decision to dismiss application, finding the HRT had jurisdiction over the complaint where section 13 only requires a sufficient nexus with the employment context, and not necessarily a relationship of economic power

20. February 2018 0
The BC Human Rights Tribunal dismissed a respondent’s application to dismiss a complaint against him on the basis that the HRT did not have jurisdiction. The complaint was made by an individual who was not employed by the respondent or the respondent’s employer, but rather, they worked on a mutual project together. The respondent argued ...