OCDSB Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor

OCDSB Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor


We are on the side of human rights! The Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor (O-HREA) is the OCDSB’s arm’s-length office committed to promoting and protecting the human rights of students, families, staff and the broader school community.  The Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor is established to address concerns under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the OCDSB Policy P.147.GOV Human Rights.

The Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor has two main goals:

  1. To act on human rights complaints confidentially, fairly, and promptly; and
  2. To provide leadership and advice within the OCDSB community to help people better understand their human rights and obligations, and prevent discrimination and harassment.

Arm’s-Length

We address all human rights concerns and complaints in an impartial, independent and fair manner. The Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor operates at arm’s length and free from interference from all other administrative structures within the OCDSB.

Confidentiality

All communication with the Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor is private and confidential. The Office of the Human Rigths and Equity Advisor is intended to be a safe and confidential space for all members of the OCDSB community to bring forward concerns related to discrimination and harassment or other human rights issues. We welcome any questions regarding privacy and confidentiality.

Report an Issue

The Human Rights Reporting Form may be used by anyone in the OCDSB community to confidentially report a human rights concern to the Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor. 

If you require help to fill out the form or any other type of accommodation during the process, please contact our office at [email protected] or +1 613 596 8729 and we are happy to provide support. 

Resolution of Concerns

We address human rights concerns applying OCDSB policies and procedures as well as relevant legislation including the Ontario Human Rights Code. We apply principles of procedural fairness and consider policy guidance published by the Ontario Human Rights Commission during our process.

Investigations typically result in written findings and recommendations to remedy the human rights concern. The findings are shared with people impacted, subject to privacy protections, and system-level recommendations are shared with the Director of Education for consideration. You can learn more by reading the OCDSB Human Rights policy.

Contact us in Confidence

The Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor is intended to be a safe and confidential space for anyone in the OCDSB community to bring forward human rights concerns, complaints or issues. 

All appointments must be made in advance by phone or via email. Appointments or consultations will be conducted through a phone call, virtual meet or in-person meeting.

 

Office Hours: Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm
Telephone: +1 613 596 8729
Email:
  [email protected]


Meet our Team


*content on this page is adapted from the Human Rights Commissioner's Office webpage at  York Region District School Board
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