Clients thinking about filing a human rights complaint, or on the receiving end of one, generally want the answer to that one, bottom-line question: how much is this claim worth? How much am I going to get, or going to have to pay?
When the claim deals with specific losses like wages or medical costs, that number can be calculated. But nearly every claim also includes a component of damages for "injury to dignity, feelings and self respect or any of them". That's a very different question: how much are hurt feelings worth?
Read moreI had occasion to participate on a panel at the Bargaining in the Broader Public Sector 2014 Conference organized by Lancaster House. The panel, “What’s on the Bargaining Table: Emerging Issues, Creative Solutions”, canvassed a number of topics including pensions, health and welfare benefits and work-life balance. The obligation to accommodate employees on the basis of family status came up under the topic of work-life balance. The leading case in British Columbia is Health Sciences Association v.Campbell River and North Island Transition Society available on Canlii at:
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