Item - 2021.GL21.27

The General Government and Licensing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council adopt the amended Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy contained in Attachment 3 to the report (March 15, 2021) from the Chief People Officer.

2. City Council adopt the amended Hate Activity Policy contained in Attachment 4 to the report (March 15, 2021) from the Chief People Officer.

In accordance with the City's Human Rights and Anti-Harassment / Discrimination Policy, this report provides an annual update to City Council on the data trends and information related to human rights inquiries and complaints involving the City in 2019 and 2020 through the City's internal Human Rights Office or external legal processes.

The report also identifies program initiatives and policy development undertaken by the Human Rights Office to minimize legislative and policy breaches, thereby mitigating risks to the City while promoting equity and inclusion including updates to the Human Rights and Ant-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and Hate Activity Policy as well as the development of human rights courses for City staff.

The Human Rights Office provides neutral and confidential advice and complaint resolution services to residents who use City services and facilities, as well as the Toronto Public Service, Councillor Offices, and Accountability Offices. 

In 2019 and 2020, the Human Rights Office received 833 and 1,055 inquiries, compared to 895 inquiries in 2018. As a result of COVID-19 and coinciding with the increased awareness of inequalities faced by Black and Indigenous peoples, anti-Black racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, 2020 saw notable increases to inquiries related to race and race-related grounds. While the number of sexual harassment inquiries decreased in both 2019 and 2020, inquiries related to the ground of sex, including pregnancy and breastfeeding increased as did those related to family status. The increase in both of these inquiry types are attributed to accommodations related to COVID-19.