Senior Ontario lawyers fighting human rights claims across Canada. HRTO, BC Tribunal, Alberta Commission, Federal CHRT. No paralegals. No juniors. Real results.
Tell us what happened. We reply within 1–2 business days.
Unlike small claims court, human rights tribunals in every Canadian province have no monetary limit on what you can recover.
Your jurisdiction depends on where the discrimination occurred and who your employer or service provider is. The wrong tribunal means dismissal — we get this right from day one.
File directly with the HRTO — no commission gatekeeping. Ontario was the first province with a direct-access model (since 2008). The HRTO resolves applications through mediation and, if needed, hearings.
Social areas: Employment · Housing · Services, goods & facilities · Contracts · Vocational associations
Ontario has the most comprehensive list of protected grounds in Canada.
* Housing only. Unique to Ontario.
File directly with the BCHRT. BC moved to direct access in 2003. Mediation is offered but not mandatory. Hearings are formal quasi-judicial proceedings. No costs awarded against unsuccessful applicants in most cases.
Social areas: Employment · Tenancy · Publication · Services, accommodation & facilities · Purchase of property
BC explicitly protects breastfeeding under sex and has no "creed" ground — religion covers this.
* Criminal conviction protection limited to employment. Breastfeeding protected under sex.
Alberta uses a commission gatekeeping model — you file with the Commission first, which investigates and attempts resolution before referring to the Tribunal. This adds steps but also creates a mediated resolution opportunity before a formal hearing.
Social areas: Employment · Tenancy · Goods, services, accommodation & facilities · Publications
Alberta uniquely protects source of income — no other province has this ground. No citizenship or political belief protection.
* Source of income is unique to Alberta — no other province protects this ground. Age (18+) also protected.
The federal Canadian Human Rights Act applies to federally regulated employers and service providers — banks, airlines, telecom companies, railways, federal government departments, and First Nations band offices. You file with the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) first.
Covered employers: Banks · Airlines · Telecom · Railways · Federal government · Crown corporations · First Nations governments
Federal law uniquely protects genetic characteristics — no province has this ground. Covers federally regulated workplaces and services regardless of province.
* Genetic characteristics (including refusal to take a genetic test) is unique to federal law.
Every Canadian province and territory has human rights legislation. We provide advice, document preparation, and negotiation support Canada-wide, and coordinate with locally licensed counsel for hearing representation in provinces not listed above.
Note: Québec has the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse (CDPDJ) and the Tribunal des droits de la personne. Québec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms offers some of the broadest protections in Canada. Contact us for Québec-specific guidance.
Understanding what you can realistically recover is essential before you decide to proceed. We give you an honest picture — not inflated expectations. The cases below are publicly available decisions on CanLII, cited here for educational illustration of the legal principles and award ranges that inform our practice. They are not our cases. Every matter is different; outcomes depend entirely on your specific facts, evidence, and circumstances.
In this BC case, a corrections officer subjected to systemic racial discrimination — including being called a "lazy Black man" by a supervisor in front of inmates and officers — was awarded nearly $1 million in total damages. The award included $176,000 for injury to dignity alone, the highest ever dignity award in BC history, plus wage loss and loss of future earnings after discrimination caused serious mental illness leaving him unable to work.
The Nova Scotia Court of Appeal awarded $300,000 in general damages to one applicant — the largest general damages award in Canadian human rights history — after finding the province had systemically discriminated against people with mental disabilities by keeping them in institutional settings rather than community housing. The case demonstrates the potential scale of systemic discrimination claims.
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal awarded each of three female employees $40,000 in damages ($20,000 pain and suffering + $20,000 special compensation) after a band councillor and manager repeatedly sexually harassed them, creating a poisoned work environment and causing severe mental health impacts. One complainant also recovered nearly $45,000 in lost wages, bringing total awards to nearly $165,000.
Human rights cases can take 12–36 months. Our fee structure is designed to align our interests with yours — we get paid when you do. All fees confirmed after your free case review.
Submit your details. We assess jurisdiction, grounds, and merits within 1–2 business days with complete honesty about your prospects.
Zoom call directly with Glyn or Jodi. We map your case, explain the process for your specific tribunal, and confirm the fee arrangement.
E-sign your retainer via DocuSign. We file the application, handle all procedural steps, and attend mediation and hearings for you.
No cap. No limit. We fight for every dollar you are owed — injury to dignity, lost wages, future income, out-of-pocket expenses, and public interest remedies.
Nearly 30 years of hard-fought litigation. Glyn brings class-action pedigree, a PhD in Theories of Justice, and almost two decades as per-diem Legal Aid counsel. He holds both a Canadian LL.B. and U.S. J.D., and is currently co-counsel on the federal Black Public Service employees discrimination class action — one of the most significant human rights matters currently before the courts in Canada. He approaches every human rights file with the same intensity as a landmark case.
Former in-house counsel at 3M, GM, and other major corporations. Jodi's corporate background means she understands exactly how respondent organizations think — and where their weaknesses are. Deep expertise in employment discrimination, human rights, mental health law, and disability accommodation. She combines strategic insight with fierce advocacy to recover what clients are genuinely owed.
Submit your details and we will review your matter within 1–2 business days. We will give you an honest assessment of your case — including whether the HRLSC or another free resource might be a better fit.
Last updated: March 2026
humanrights.claims (an initiative of Zahara · Hotz Law practising in association with Justice & Equity Canada) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial laws including Québec's Law 25.
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