Human Rights Legal Support Centre Charts a Bold Path Forward

TORONTO, ONT — The Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) has released its 2024–2025 Annual Report, highlighting major legal victories and a new five-year Strategic Plan to help strengthen access to justice for vulnerable Ontarians facing discrimination and harassment.

From April 2024 and March 2025, the HRLSC provided legal advice and support services to an increased number of callers, with nearly 24,000 people seeking assistance in cases of discrimination and harassment. It also represented almost 300 Ontarians at the Human Rights Tribunal’s (HRTO) hearings and mediations.

The HRLSC achieved landmark outcomes with lasting public impact. Key case wins included:

  • Damages awarded, as well as policy improvements and training after a North Bay bus driver with multiple previous complaints refused to allow an Indigenous family on their bus in the case of Nakogee v. The Corporation of the City of North Bay o/a North Bay Transit, 2024 HRTO 1838.
  • Damages awarded to an executive assistant to a CEO after the HRTO found that she had been sexually harassed in the workplace by her boss in the case of More v. Shared Workspace Incorporation, 2025 HRTO 681.
  • Systemic reforms in addressing the needs of people with disabilities in police custody.
  • Divisional Court upholding reforms to disability support benefits for people with service dogs.
  • A settlement reached with a store that had accused an Indigenous man of shoplifting his own jacket.

“The year’s annual report shows the important ongoing impact of our work,” said Remi Warner, executive director of the HRLSC. “With rising demand for our services and precedent-setting victories that advance equity, we are not only responding to the needs of rights-seeking individuals but also driving systemic changes that will benefit vulnerable communities across the province.”

The increase in demand for the HRLSC’s services reflects in part the growing public awareness of the Centre’s services. Visits to the HRLSC’s website climbed by 30 per cent, along with a 300 per cent increase in media coverage compared to last year.

The 2024-25 Annual Report underscores the need for continued access to in-depth legal services, to ensure all Ontarians can meaningfully seek human rights justice and enforce their rights.

“Human rights laws only have meaning when people can actually use them to challenge discrimination and secure change,” says Ena Chadha, HRLSC chair. “The HRLSC is a critical law enforcement tool for Ontarians to translate their rights into real remedies. Access to expert human rights legal support is essential to protecting people where it matters most — at work, at home, and in the services they depend on.”

Key Centre achievements highlighted in the Annual Report:

  • Launch of the 2024–2029 Strategic Plan, “Realizing Human Rights Together: Empowering Access to Justice,” focused on broadening the HRLSC’s range of services, promoting the Centre’s leadership role in defending human rights for marginalized communities and enhancing organizational sustainability.
  • Secured a responsive grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario (LFO) to be used over the next two fiscal years, with additional funding and contributions from Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) and York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School.
  • Launch of a new Mediation, Early Resolution & Experiential Training (MEET) Project, to strengthen early dispute resolution services for applicants following the HRTO’s introduction of mandatory mediations in June 2025.
  • New partnership with Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) to develop a “Guided Pathways” online tool to assist Ontarians in completing and filing HRTO applications.
  • Improved data collection and analysis to track emerging trends and the human rights needs of Ontarians.

Media Contact:  media@hrlsc.on.ca 

ABOUT THE HRLSC: The Human Rights Legal Support Centre advances equality and protects human rights by providing a range of accessible, high quality legal advice and support services to individuals who have faced discrimination or harassment contrary to Ontario’s Human Rights Code. The HRLSC is an independent, board-governed agency funded by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General. It was established in 2008 as one of three pillars of Ontario’s human rights system. The other two pillars are the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.