Human Rights and Discrimination Protection: Difference between revisions

The Tribunal has guides and information sheets on the Code, the Tribunal, how to make and file a complaint, how to respond to a complaint, and many other topics. To get this material, see the Tribunal website at [http://www.bchrt.bc.ca  www.bchrt.bc.ca] or phone the Tribunal at 604.775.2000 in Vancouver and 1.888.440.8844 elsewhere in BC.

The Tribunal is the organization that deals with complaints under the Code. It operates like a court, but is less formal. It consists of staff and members who hold hearings into complaints that are not settled. Members are experts in human rights law who are appointed by the BC government. Tribunal proceedings and material are normally public.

The Human Rights Clinic may be able to help you file a complaint with the Tribunal and help you at a hearing. The clinic is a project of the BC Human Rights Coalition and the Community Legal Assistance Society. In addition, an onsite consultation service is offered every Monday between 9:30 am and 3:30 pm at the Tribunal's offices in Vancouver. For details, see the BC Human Rights Clinic website at [http://www.bchrc.net www.bchrc.net] or phone 604.689.8474 in Vancouver and 1.877.689.8474 elsewhere in BC.

The Tribunal can handle complaints only if the Code covers them. It also considers if there is enough information to support a possible violation of the Code. So it is important to give all the information that supports your complaint.

So first, the Tribunal must decide if the Code covers your complaint. If it does, the Tribunal will ask the person or business you complained about, called the respondent, to reply to your complaint. The respondent can ask the Tribunal to dismiss your complaint without a hearing. The Tribunal will try to help you and the respondent settle the complaint, first by holding a settlement meeting. If you can’t settle the case, a Tribunal member may hold a hearing. The member will decide if the complaint is justified, and if it is, the Tribunal can order a remedy. The decision for this order can be either oral or written.

Remedies are designed to reverse the effects of discrimination, not to punish the person or business that discriminated. They can include an order that the person or business that discriminated must do any of the following:

*stop discriminating

*make available the right, opportunity, or privilege that you didn’t get because of the discrimination (for example, give you your job back, or the right to compete for a job)

*pay you money—called damages—for lost income (including wages and disability and other benefits) and expenses

==What if you disagree with the Tribunal’s decision?==