The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) dismissed a case filed by a university library employee against Queen’s.
In HRTO records obtained by The Journal post-adjudication on April 25, the aggrieved employee alleged Queen’s failed to accommodate them for close to 15 years. The original complaint was submitted to the HRTO on June 4, 2021.
The employee said disability and gender identity were their grounds of claims under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Their disability was cognitive in nature, and the employee would require some time to process instructions in a relaxed environment.
When describing a key incident which prompted the employee to file the complaint, they described a fellow colleague who went “ballistic” in response to the employee turning off lights in a room.
In another part of the filing, the employee alleged sexual advances were made in the workplace by the same colleague who went “ballistic.”
After these incidents, the employee contended in the filing they were escorted out by two security guards at the end of shift. Passwords and keys were taken away from the employee, and they said they were placed on administrative leave, for “no reason.”
Monetary compensation in the amount of $2 million was originally sought by the employee. The employee described the events allegedly propagated by the University and their colleague as publicly humiliating and impacting their sleep.. They were concerned about their livelihood being impacted with multiple investigations by Queen’s.
Queen’s allegedly didn’t inform the employee about the “false allegations,” according to the employee’s filing at the HRTO. The employee believed according to the HRTO filing that their colleague made a complaint to Queen’s, leading to their being placed on administrative leave.
The employee agreed to use mediation to resolve the application but was concerned about Queen’s continuing its alleged discrimination against the them.
The HRTO dismissed the case after the employee didn’t respond to the notice of intent to dismiss the application by the stipulated deadline. The Tribunal determined the case fell outside their jurisdiction, mentioning the employee failed to properly explain their claims of “reprisal or threat of reprisal.”
In a statement to The Journal, Queen’s said they wouldn’t comment further on the matter.
“On April 25, 2023, The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario dismissed [the application]. The University will not comment further on this Human Resources matter out of consideration for the privacy of all concerned,” Queen’s said.
Tags
employee, human rights, Library
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