discrimination in shared Accommodations

The Canadian Federation of the Blind is pleased to present this campaign on behalf of our member Ben Fulton. Ben is challenging a provision in the Ontario Human Rights Code R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19, s. 21 (1). The provision states:

The right under section 2 to equal treatment with respect to the occupancy of residential accommodation without discrimination is not infringed by discrimination where the residential accommodation is in a dwelling in which the owner or his or her family reside if the occupant or occupants of the residential accommodation are required to share a bathroom or kitchen facility with the owner or family of the owner.

Together, we are collecting experiences of people with disabilities who believe they may have been discriminated against in such a situation. The information you provide us in this form will be used to demonstrate the impact of allowing such discrimination at the human rights tribunal.

Media coverage

Watch Ben’s presentation to the 2021 CFB National Convention
Listen to Ben on Outlook on Radio Western through apple podcasts (opens in a new window)
Listen to Ben on Outlook on Radio Western through soundcloud (opens in a new window)

Descrimination in shared accommodations

Please fill out the form as accurately and in as much detail as you can. Please use complete sentences, and pay attention to spelling and grammer. The form will generate a narrative style letter based on your responses. A copy of your letter will go to Ben, and another will go to you at the email address you specify in the form. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Full Name:(Required)

Street Address:(Required)

City(Required)

Postal Code(Required)

Please enter a postal code like this L#L #L#.

Eemail Address(Required)

Phone:(Required)

Province

I live in Ontario

Follow-up preference(Required)

I would like my submission to stand as is.

I would like to continue participating beyond this submission.

Tell us whether you would like to participate further or would prefer your submission to stand as is.

Follow-up with me via

Postal mail

Email or phone

Email only

Phone only

State your contact preference

Disability related information

This information is being collected because the basis of our challenge is disability.

Identification

I identify as a person with a disability

Please describe your disability in a sentence.(Required)

For example, "I am blind", or "I have Cerebral Palsy.

Were you receiving an ODSP benefit at the time you experienced the discrimination?(Required)

I was receiving an ODSP benefit when the events occurred.

I was not receiving an ODSP benefit when the events occurred.

We are asking this because there is a specific provision in the Ontario Human Rights Code that deals with housing discrimination when receiving social assistance.

Tell us about what happened

In this section, we ask some questions about what happened and give you a chance to tell your story. Later, we'll ask how it affected you. So, please focus on putting down the events as they occurred.

Experience.(Required)

I believe I experienced discrimination in shared accommodations.

How long ago did your experience take place?(Required)

I am writing about an experience that is ongoing.

I am writing about an experience that took place in the last year.

I am writing about an experience that took place one to five years ago.

I am writing about an experience that took place more than five years ago.

Human rights challenges in Ontario need to be filed within a year of the last event. However, you are only providing a statement of support for an ongoing challenge. Thus, even if the events took place some time ago, they are still worth mentioning.

Were you prevented from renting the room you wanted?(Required)

I was prevented from renting the accommodation I wanted.

I was able to rent the accommodation I wanted but continued to experience discrimination.

I was able to secure the accommodation I wanted with no further issue.

Did this rental include sharing a bathroom or kichen with the landlord or their family?(Required)

This accommodation included a bathroom or kitchen shared with the landlord or members of their family.

I don't know whether OR NOT the kitchen and bath were shared with the landlord.

This accommodation did not include a bathroom or kitchen shared with the landlord or their family.

Tell us what happened in your own words.(Required)

Describe the events in chronological order. If you want you can type this up in word and copy and paste it into the form.

How did this experience impact you?

This section is for collecting information on how the experience you described above impacted you.

Are you happy with your current living arrangement?(Required)

I am happy with where I am living now.

I am unhappy with my current living arrangement.

Are you currently in social housing?(Required)

I am currently in social housing.

I am currently on a wait list for social housing.

I am not eligible or do not wish to participate in social housing.

How long did it take you to find your current living situation?(Required)

How did your experience impact you?(Required)

I lost work.

I missed classes or other educational opportunities.

I find it difficult to reach medical care.

I can't get to amenities such as shopping independently.

I am forced to live too far away from friends and family.

I am forced to live with people who don't share my lifestyle.

My commute times are prohibitively long.

My travel costs are prohibitively high.

I am forced to live where the cost of rent is higher than I can afford.

I lived or am currently living in a shelter situation.

I am living, or was forced to live with some one who stole my property.

I am living, or was forced to live with an abuser or other violent person.

Other Impacts

Please describe any impacts resulting from your experience that have not already been covered.

Anything else you would like us to know.

Tell us more about how your experience impacted you or anything else you would like us to know in your own words. If you like you can type this up in a word processor, then copy and paste it here.

Notes about collection of your personal data.

This form collects personal information about you and your circumstances. Please read and acknowledge the following notes about how we collect and use this information.

Purpose

The purpose of this form is to collect written testimony about the experiences of people with disabilities who have been declined shared housing and believe that their disability is the cause. See disclaimer.

Collection

This data is being collected by the Canadian Federation of the Blind, on behalf of Ben Fulton. The Canadian Federation of the Blind is a collection agent only and will not use this data other than to transfer it to the recipient. All data will be handled in accordance with the privacy policy found at http://benlaw.ca/privacy-policy/.

Security

Your data will be sent over secure email to Ben Fulton via email at bfulton@benlaw.ca. It will also be transferred via secure SSL to our server. All of the data will be stored until May 31st, 2022, at which time it will be deleted from the server and the Canadian Federation of the Blind will no longer retain the form or any copies of any data.

Disclaimer

The filling of this form does not constitute filing of a discrimination complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal or any other judiciary body. If you believe you have a discrimination complaint, please seek legal advice.

The information provided on this form is given to explain why we collect specific data and how to fill out the form most effectively. None of the information provided constitutes legal advice.

Contact

If you have any questions about the collection and use of your personal information, please Email Ben or contact cfb webmaster using the contact form on our website.

Acknowledgement of the data collection information(Required)

I have read and understand the data collection policy.

human agency

To verify that you are a person, please leave this field blank.