British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal: Discrimination In Temple OK

[Vancouver Sun] The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has dismissed a complaint by two members of the Indo-Canadian community who were denied membership in a Burnaby Sikh temple because of their social ranking in India’s caste system.

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The 900 members of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha Temple belong to the lowest group, Dalits, formerly referred to as “untouchables” and often considered outside the caste system altogether. Sahota and Shergill are from the jat caste, which is traditionally a land-owning class in the Punjab and now makes up much of Metro Vancouver’s Sikh community.

The decision, released this week, was hailed as an affirmation of temple members’ right to gather as a “minority within a minority,” said spokesman Jai Birdi.

“Since the decision has come out, the members are feeling quite empowered by it,” he said. “They’re feeling that this really reinforces their ability to come together as a marginalized community from India to talk about their heritage and historical unresolved issues and come up with some strategies for moving forward.”

The rest.

More Social Engineering From The Ontario Human Rights Commission

Of course, you can’t have a say because none of these bureaucrats are elected to anything. But hey, you should feel good for paying their salaries and funding their projects, no questions asked.

[Peterborough Examiner] Ontario should increase availability of supportive housing and appropriate support services and ensure that social housing providers have sufficient funds to meet their duty to accommodate. The Ontario Human Rights Code be amended to explicitly list gender identity and sexual orientation as a prohibited grounds of discrimination and harassment.

All organizations, institutions and individuals involved in developing, planning, approving or giving input to affordable housing for human rights code protected groups take steps to monitor for discriminatory NIMBY (not in my backyard) opposition and modify their policies, practices and actions to prevent and address it.

The rest.

It’s Baaaaaaaack: Time To Re-Argue Breastfeeding In Public As A Human Right

[Guelph Mercury] “I took down one side and gave her something to eat,” Buck said. “After about a minute, a lifeguard approached us. She said, ‘We don’t allow that here. You have to take that into the change room.’ “

A confrontation ensued, according to Buck, who admits she responded angrily to the request.

“I said, ‘By ‘that’ do you mean breastfeeding?’ And she said, ‘Yes, we try to enforce a family-friendly environment, so you will have to take that into the change room.’ That’s when I asked her if she was aware that she had just made an illegal request.”

The Ontario Human Rights Commission details the rights of breastfeeding mothers, while the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees a woman’s protection against discrimination. A mother cannot be prevented from nursing her child, and cannot be asked to cover up or move the feeding to another place, according to the commission’s website.

The rest.

BCHRT: Bereavement Leave Is A Discrimination Issue

[Car Rentals] A Hertz Rent-A-Car location in Vancouver (Canada) has rejected an employee’s request for bereavement leave, after his wife had a miscarriage. Ali Mahdi wanted to attend his stillborn child’s funeral, but Hertz would not provide him with leave from his job. As such, Mahdi announced that he has filed for legal action through the Human Rights Commission and the car rental giant will now have to answer questions before a British Columbia tribunal.

The rest.