Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
[1] The Commission offers assistance to those trying to prevent discrimination on the basis of ethnic, national and aboriginal origin, age, color, creed, disability (physical and mental and perception of it), ethnic origin, family status (parent-child relationship), fear of contracting an illness, gender expression, harassment based on other protected characteristics, national origin, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), sexual identity, sexual harassment, political belief, race, religion, source of income.
In the early sixties direct involvement of premier Robert Stanfield along with William Pearly Oliver were instrumental in laying the foundation in Nova Scotia for the establishment of the Commission.
While Premier Stanfield went into federal politics in 1967, he and Dr. Williams had laid the foundation for the Human Rights Commission to be established in that same year.
Others who supported the early development of the Human Rights Commission were Donald Oliver, Gus Wedderburn, Carrie Best and Buddy Daye.
The Commission quickly introduced wide-ranging legislation amendments to the Human Rights Act, “making the Nova Scotia legislation the strongest and most comprehensive of its kind in Canada.”[13] The Commission provided funds for William Oliver's newest organization, the Black United Front and sponsored a two-day workshop with activist Saul Alinsky.
The human rights officers also make recommendations to the Commissioners for further dispute resolution in the form of a board or inquiries or dismissal of a complaint.
This final process of dispute resolution can assist the parties with an independent adjudicator hearing the full complaint or aspects of it.
Some prominent Commissioners in the past have included Wanda Thomas Bernard, Daniel N. Paul, Sister Dorothy MooreCalvin Ruck and Edward Russell.
Former CEOs of the Commission have included: Christine Hanson (2016-2021); Marvin Schiff (1968–1971); Dr. George McCurdy (1971–1983); Cathy MacNutt (1984-1985); Dr. Anthony Johnstone (1985–1989); Dr. Bridglal Pachai (1989–1994); Wayne MacKay (1995–1998); Mayann Francis (former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia) (1999–2006); Michael Noonan (Acting)(2006–2008); Krista Daley (2008–2011); Karen Fitzner (Acting) (2011); David Shannon (2011–2013); Tracey Williams (2014-2015)[17] In April 2012, the Commission enhanced its options for boards of inquiry processes, philosophically moving away from the adversarial civil litigation model which was observed to compound the harms of the dispute.
Some of the recipients were: the late Pat Skinner (2006), Percy Paris (2005), Senator Donald Oliver (2006), Dr. Hetty van Gurp (2006), Just Us!
Coffee Roasters Co-op's Jeff and Deborah Moore (2005), M. Lee Cohen (2002), Henderson Paris (1999), and Amnesty International(1994).
In-person restorative processes can provide better emotional closure for both of the parties since each has an opportunity to discuss how events impacted them and how to create changes for the future.
This shift from an adversarial to a collaborative model represents an understanding of the need to minimize traditional legalistic processes, inherited from the civil litigation system.
Canadian Human rights historically and currently is concerned with remediating private and public harm as opposed to punishing the respondent.
The resolutions, available on the Commission's website, resolve the accessibility concerns shared by larger disabled communities around Halifax's public transportation.
All low floor buses, for example, will accept wheelchair passengers unless the physical stop cannot accommodate the bus ramp and/or other safety concerns.
These changes address complaints that passenger access to buses was unduly restricted due to policy rather than actual operational needs or limitations.
Between 1971 and 1991, the Commission developed a six-month training program which targeted disadvantaged people to assist them in entering the work force.
