Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
Encyclopedia
The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission (the “Commission”) was established in the Nova Scotia
, Canada
in 1967 to administer the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. The Commission is an arm's length independent agency of government accountable to the Department of Justice
for budgetary issues.
The Commission's mandate under the Act includes: preventing discrimination
through public education
and public policy
; and looking into situations where discriminatory behaviour exists.
s. These conversations created many striking improvements in in services. The resolutions, available on the Commission's website, begin resolve the accessibility concerns shared by the larger disabled communities around Halifax's public transportation. For those with mobility challenges, public transportation is a essential service to engage work, school, and cultural life.
These significant changes are being implemented the fall of 2011. All low floor bus
es, for example, will accept wheelchair passengers unless the physical stop cannot accommodate the bus ramp and/or other safety concerns. These changes are adressing complaints that access to buses was unduly restricted due to policy rather than actual operational needs or limitations. Previously, policy dictated that low floor buses could pick up passengers only when the entire route was designated accessible (i.e, every stop on the route was determined to be an accessible stop). A full inventory and upgrade of the non-accessible stops is also underway. Details on the changes are found below.
process. With this change, the Commission will move away from the traditional investigation with optional mediation
. This approach process was often long and seldom involved bringing parties together except for an adversarial public inquiry
. The current resolution program uses a more collaborative, restorative approach between the parties involved, which will facilitate a more responsive and timely resolution.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1967 to administer the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act. The Commission is an arm's length independent agency of government accountable to the Department of Justice
Department of Justice (Canada)
The purpose of the Department of Justice is to ensure that the Canadian justice system is fair, accessible and efficient. The Department also represents the Canadian government in legal matters...
for budgetary issues.
The Commission's mandate under the Act includes: preventing discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
through public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
and public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
; and looking into situations where discriminatory behaviour exists.
Halifax Metro Transit Accessibility Improvements
Disabled transit riders in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, are seeing improved accessibility in 2011. Halifax Metro Transit engaged in a wide-ranging dialogue, facilitated by the Commission, with two passengers who use wheelchairWheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s. These conversations created many striking improvements in in services. The resolutions, available on the Commission's website, begin resolve the accessibility concerns shared by the larger disabled communities around Halifax's public transportation. For those with mobility challenges, public transportation is a essential service to engage work, school, and cultural life.
These significant changes are being implemented the fall of 2011. All low floor bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es, for example, will accept wheelchair passengers unless the physical stop cannot accommodate the bus ramp and/or other safety concerns. These changes are adressing complaints that access to buses was unduly restricted due to policy rather than actual operational needs or limitations. Previously, policy dictated that low floor buses could pick up passengers only when the entire route was designated accessible (i.e, every stop on the route was determined to be an accessible stop). A full inventory and upgrade of the non-accessible stops is also underway. Details on the changes are found below.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The Commision co-hosts an annual symposium in celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.International Human Rights Day
The Commission sponsors the annual International Human Rights Day (December 10).Dispute Resolution Program
Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission is the first commission in Canada to engage a restorative dispute resolutionDispute resolution
Dispute resolution is the process of resolving disputes between parties.-Methods:Methods of dispute resolution include:* lawsuits * arbitration* collaborative law* mediation* conciliation* many types of negotiation* facilitation...
process. With this change, the Commission will move away from the traditional investigation with optional mediation
Mediation
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution , a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties. A third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate their own settlement...
. This approach process was often long and seldom involved bringing parties together except for an adversarial public inquiry
Public inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
. The current resolution program uses a more collaborative, restorative approach between the parties involved, which will facilitate a more responsive and timely resolution.
See also
- Human Rights in CanadaHuman rights in CanadaSince signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the Canadian government has attempted to make universal human rights a part of Canadian law...
- Canadian Human Rights CommissionCanadian Human Rights CommissionThe Canadian Human Rights Commission is a quasi-judicial body that was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the Canadian Human Rights Act to investigate and try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the provision of services within federal...
- Canadian Human Rights Commission free speech controversy
- Court of Appeal for Nova Scotia
- Supreme Court of CanadaSupreme Court of CanadaThe Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
- Canadian Islamic Congress human rights complaint against Maclean's Magazine