Akbar Zareh

October 15, 2009 -- The Ontario Human Rights Commission has released a new Policy on Human Rights and Rental Housing. This policy document is intended to give practical advice on how people (both tenants and landlords) can exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code, with regard to how it applies to rental housing.

Ontario Human Rights Code

Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, tenants and housing providers (landlords) have rights and obligations. Under the Code, everyone has the right to equal treatment in housing, without discrimination and harassment. Landlords are responsible for making sure the housing they operate is free from discrimination and harassment.

Under the Code, people cannot be refused an apartment, bothered by a landlord or other tenants, or otherwise treated unfairly because of their:
• Race, colour or ethnic background
• Religious beliefs or practices
• Ancestry, including people of aboriginal descent
• Place of origin
• Citizenship, including refugee status
• Sex (including pregnancy and gender identity)
• Family status
• Marital status, including people with same-sex partner
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Age, including people who are 16 or 17 years old and no longer living with their parents
• Receipt of public assistance

People are also protected if they face discrimination because of being a friend or relative of someone identified above.

Additional Information

The Ontario Human Rights Code and the new Policy on Human Rights and Rental Housing provide additional detail on the application of these rights and landlord obligations.
Detailed information on these issues, including the new Policy on Human Rights and Rental Housing, is available from the Ontario Human Rights Commission web site. http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/news/policylaunch

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