Resources

Class action certified for government negligence in abandoning 18 year old disabled people at the bottom of adult waitlists

• March 11, 2019
• Laura Lepine
• Comments Off on Class action certified for government negligence in abandoning 18 year old disabled people at the bottom of adult waitlists

On December 14th, 2018, Justice Edward P. Belobaba of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, certified a class action proceeding brought by the father of a disabled person, Briana Leroux. Briana is 20 years old and has a rare brain disorder; she will need constant care for her whole life. » Read the rest

Supreme Court of Canada Releases Decision in S.A. v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corp

• February 28, 2019
• Anoop Kalsi
• Comments Off on Supreme Court of Canada Releases Decision in S.A. v. Metro Vancouver Housing Corp

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) released their decision finding that Henson Trusts are not considered assets when determining eligibility for a rent subsidy.

Henson trusts, often relied upon by many persons with disabilities, allow family members to put aside money for persons with disabilities while preserving their entitlements for social assistance. » Read the rest

David Lepofsky, Disability Organizations Call on Federal Government to Improve Bill C-81

• February 26, 2019
• Laura Lepine
• Comments Off on David Lepofsky, Disability Organizations Call on Federal Government to Improve Bill C-81

On January 9th, 2019, the Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance (“AODA Alliance”), David Lepofsky, sat down with CTV “Your Morning” host Kelsey McEwen to discuss the federal government’s Bill C-81, the proposed Accessible Canada Act.

Since the bill’s inception, the federal government has stated it is meant to reflect the principle “nothing about us without us!” » Read the rest

Bring Evidence-Based ABA to school! A guide to advocate for your child’s access to education

• February 20, 2019
• Kimberly Srivastava
• Comments Off on Bring Evidence-Based ABA to school! A guide to advocate for your child’s access to education

Many children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis suffer from a lack of access to meaningful education. Meaningful access to education is a basic human right. Many school boards refuse to provide Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) in the classroom despite the research which demonstrates that evidence based ABA is an effective approach to teach students with ASD and other diagnoses. » Read the rest

Changes to the Ontario Autism Program

• February 7, 2019
• Kimberly Srivastava
• Comments Off on Changes to the Ontario Autism Program

On February 6, 2019, the Ontario government announced changes to the Ontario Autism Program. Read about the changes and the implications in the links below.

Toronto Star article (link).

Global News article (link).

Age Discrimination in the Workplace

• December 27, 2018
• Anoop Kalsi
• Comments Off on Age Discrimination in the Workplace

A recent Globe and Mail article explored the growing number of human rights complaints involving workplace age discrimination.

Companies cannot fire or refuse to hire an older employee on the basis of age. Yet, they may find a way to make decisions that nonetheless lead to age discrimination. » Read the rest

Ministry of Education Gaining Power to Establish Service Animal Guidelines

• December 21, 2018
• Laura Lepine
• Comments Off on Ministry of Education Gaining Power to Establish Service Animal Guidelines

The Ontario Ministry of Education has recently introduced Bill 48, the “Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2018”, which mandates revocation of a teacher’s teaching certificate if he or she is guilty of professional misconduct involving sexual abuse of a child.

One provision of Bill 48, however, seems unrelated: Schedule 2 of the Bill would amend subsection 8(1) of the Education Act, giving the Minister of Education the power to establish policies and guidelines respecting service animals in schools. » Read the rest

CHRT to Hear Complaint of Women with Service Dogs Forced off Flight

• December 21, 2018
• Laura Lepine
• Comments Off on CHRT to Hear Complaint of Women with Service Dogs Forced off Flight

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (“CHRT”) will hear the complaint of two visually-impaired Toronto women who were removed from a flight at Pearson Airport because of their service dogs.

Amal Haddad, Nayla Farah, and Farah’s daughter allege that, though they had all the necessary papers and had travelled with service dogs many times before, the flight crew on their Jet Airways flight had them removed for refusing to muzzle their service dogs. » Read the rest

Students and Alumni Rally Against University of Toronto Law Tuition

• December 11, 2018
• Laura Lepine
• Comments Off on Students and Alumni Rally Against University of Toronto Law Tuition

Current and former University of Toronto law students are frustrated about rising tuition costs, which are driving students into greater debt and reducing socioeconomic diversity in the profession.

David Baker, who has advocated on behalf of alumni against rising, prohibitive tuition costs, was recently featured in an article by Anita Balakrishnan in the Law Times, entitled “Alumni, students decry U of T’s law school fees”, which can be read here (link). » Read the rest

ODSP definition change will pose difficulties for persons with mental health disabilities

• December 7, 2018
• Anoop Kalsi
• Comments Off on ODSP definition change will pose difficulties for persons with mental health disabilities

Ontario’s recent change to the definition of disability will result in difficulties for those who suffer from mental health disabilities to qualify for assistance under the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

The government’s change includes aligning the definition of disability with the federal government’s definition under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). » Read the rest