Alberta Human Rights Information Service December 2, 2009
In this issue:
Human rights and diversity news from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit
Other human rights and diversity news:
Alberta news
Canadian news
Notice to subscribers
COMMISSION AND TRIBUNAL NEWS
1. Recent tribunal decisions:
The Commission has recently updated its website with new tribunal decisions, including a decision related to a severance agreement. Read the summaries of these tribunal decisions.
2. Human rights in the workplace public workshops:
Fall 2009 workshop results:
The Commission held full-day public workshops in Lethbridge, Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray in fall 2009. Twenty-five individuals participated in the workshop in Lethbridge, 50 in Edmonton, 55 in Calgary and 53 in Fort McMurray. The Edmonton workshop was held in partnership with the Northern Alberta Alliance on Race Relations (NAARR) and the Fort McMurray workshop was held in partnership with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. A variety of organizations, including businesses, unions, and law enforcement and not-for-profit organizations, were represented at the workshops. These organizations were seeking information on how to create respectful and inclusive workplaces free from discrimination as our province becomes more diverse.
The response to these workshops was very positive. Many participants requested a more detailed workshop on topics including how to investigate human rights complaints, drug and alcohol testing, duty to accommodate religious beliefs, and obtaining medical information in the workplace.
Read the archives of past workshop results.
Public workshops: Winter and spring 2010
Six human rights in the workplace public workshops are now scheduled for winter and spring 2010. The full-day and half-day workshops, intended for managers, supervisors, team leaders, human resource professionals, union leaders, and small business owners, will provide participants with:
- an overview of Alberta's human rights legislation,
- information on preventing harassment in the workplace and developing effective harassment policies in the workplace, and
- information from the workshop module Duty to accommodate.
Winter and spring public workshops are scheduled as follows:
Edmonton: January 21, 2010*
Calgary: February 10, 2010*
Edmonton: February 24, 2010*
Calgary: March 10, 2010*
Red Deer: March 17, 2010
Lethbridge: March 24, 2010 (offered in partnership with the City of Lethbridge)
*These workshops are half-day.
Read more about the workshops. The registration form is available online.
3. Commission lawyers mentoring University of Alberta law students:
The Canadian Bar Association Alberta Branch has once again instituted the Mentorship Program for law students. The Commission lawyers in the Edmonton office have agreed to mentor two students from the University of Alberta for this school term. The aim of the Mentorship Program is to match law students with lawyers who are willing to share their experiences about the practice of law in areas of interest and the process of becoming a lawyer. Mentors help students build important networks in the legal community and serve as valuable career advisors for students.
4. Commission hosted citizenship ceremonies:
The Commission, in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, hosted two citizenship ceremonies on November 13, 2009 in Edmonton, where about 86 newcomers became new Canadians. Judge Sonia Bitar, Citizenship Judge, conducted the ceremonies. The Commission hosted a reception at both sessions for about 100 people, including family and relatives of the new Canadians.
The Chief of the Commission and Tribunals, the Honourable Blair Mason, spoke to about 43 new Canadians and their guests. Mr. Mason congratulated the new Canadians and welcomed them to Alberta which he described as “made up of people from different cultural, religious and other backgrounds,” and informed them briefly about the Alberta Human Rights Act.
5. Report on hate crime and bias in Alberta:
The Commission is a member of the Alberta Hate Crimes Committee, which recently released the Alberta Hate/Bias Crime Report 2008 providing base-line hate crime data, including statistics. From the report: "The report explores the incidence of hate crime in communities across Alberta as well as some of the definitional and data collection issues that impact our ability to understand the scope and nature of hate and bias crime and activity in our province." Read the news release.
6. Commission staff involvement in UNESCO education roundtable:
Last December, the Commission's Director of Education and Community Services, Cassie Palamar, participated in a roundtable discussion titled Putting Human Rights into Practice: The Role of Education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The discussion was one of the events that UNESCO organized to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It focused on four themes: strengthened links between research and national policies; the integration of human rights education into curriculum, teacher training and student-teacher relations; partnerships; and links between formal and non-formal education. The Commission presented a case study on the links between formal and non-formal education. The report on the roundtable discussion was recently released. You can read about the Commission's presentation in an excerpt from the roundtable report. You can also read the "roundup" summary about the round table and visit the UNESCO Human Rights Education web page.
PLEASE NOTE: In the following sections of the newsletter, we publish news and information provided by other organizations. We also link to other websites related to human rights and diversity. The Commission provides this information as a service and is not responsible for the content provided by other organizations on their websites or by other means. Please direct comments or inquiries regarding these organizations or their websites to the organization in question.
HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY NEWS FROM ALBERTA CULTURE AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT
1. Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund:
When Alberta's human rights legislation was amended on October 1, 2009, the name of the Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Education Fund was changed to the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund (HREMF).
The Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund provides financial assistance to community organizations to help them become a catalyst for changes that will:
- create an environment where all Albertans have an opportunity to participate to their full potential without discrimination;
- increase the capacity of organizations to develop and sustain work that fosters equality and reduces discrimination; and
- advance the development of welcoming and inclusive communities and workplaces.
If you are considering applying for financial assistance from the HREMF, now is the time to contact a consultant who works with the grant program. The consultant will assist you with the application process and advise you on your project. The deadline for receipt of letters of intent to apply for financial assistance is May 1, 2010.
Recently completed projects:
- With a grant from the HREMF, the Alberta Committee of Citizens with Disabilities designed and piloted a curriculum guide titled Safe Haven: Enhancing Accessibility in Alberta’s Women’s Shelters. This publication can be used to train shelter workers on assessing the needs of women with disabilities so they can provide a more effective, safe and secure environment for their clients. The publication includes a facilitator’s guide, a participant’s booklet, a PowerPoint presentation, and Functional Needs Approach modules and checklist designed to determine accessibility in shelters. Contact accd@accd.net for more information.
- Through funding from the HREMF, Stage Left Productions offered a social justice leadership program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, intersexual, queer and questioning youth (LGBTTIQ). The participants in this program helped develop a safe space model guide for school administrators and teachers titled OUTSpoken: Youth Supporting Safe Schools. The guide addresses the legal, ethical and professional responsibilities to ensure that all students are provided with safe, caring and inclusive learning environments that respect and affirm their individual identities and experiences. It also provides student perspectives on how they can connect as a community and become more involved. The guide was distributed to a number of schools in the Calgary area. The participants also helped develop an advocacy guide, a LGBTTIQ health competency tool, and workshop. To order these resources contact Stage Left Productions.
Read about other projects that the HREMF has funded.
Human rights and multiculturalism scholarship: Students pursuing graduate studies in Canadian human rights or multiculturalism are invited to apply for the Alberta Award for the Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism. This award was established in recognition of Alberta's centennial and the contributions and experiences of our diverse population. The award is made possible through the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund. There are two awards of $10,000 each — one for Master's level study and one for Doctoral level. The deadline for applications is February 1. Download the application form and read about past scholarship recipients.
2. Significant dates:
December 10 is International Human Rights Day:
December 10, 1948 was the day on which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed by member nations of the United Nations. A Canadian, John Humphrey, was the primary author of the Declaration. The members of the UN hoped that the horrors of the recently ended war could be avoided if a universal code of human rights governed the behaviour of individuals and countries. Read more about Internation Human Rights Day.
International Day for Tolerance: November 16 was the International Day for Tolerance. The United Nations encouraged all to move beyond tolerance to the acceptance of others' differences. Read more.
On November 23, members of Alberta’s Ukrainian community gathered at the Legislature in a ceremony to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the proclamation of the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) Memorial Day Act and pay tribute to the survivors and descendants of the Holodomor. From the Preamble of the Act:
“WHEREAS millions of Ukrainians perished as a result of the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932 33;
WHEREAS the term “Holodomor” is a Ukrainian word that means “extermination by means of starvation” and is used to describe the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932 33;
WHEREAS it is recognized that the Soviet authorities denied, concealed or destroyed information about the Ukrainian Famine and Genocide (Holodomor) of 1932 33 and that accurate information about this tragic event is only now being made available;”
Read the news release.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities: December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The aim of this day is to increase awareness and understanding of persons with disabilities and the issues that impact their lives. Read more on the United Nations Enable website.
The Commission's 2008-09 Annual Review reports that physical disability and mental disability together represent 50% of all grounds cited in human rights complaints. The Commission's interpretive bulletins Duty to accommodate and Duty to accommodate students with disabilities in post-secondary educational institutions are intended to increase understanding and awareness of what accommodation means, and assist in the development of effective policies and procedures and reasonable accommodation strategies. The Commission’s interpretive bulletin and information sheets on the topic of obtaining and responding to medical information in the workplace will help employees, employers and doctors to gather the right information to facilitate workplace accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Also relating to this significant date, Disability Rights Promotion International (D.R.P.I.) offers a website that monitors disability discrimination both nationally and globally. From the website: "D.R.P.I. is a collaborative project working to establish a monitoring system to address disability discrimination globally. D.R.P.I. has adopted a holistic approach to disability rights monitoring, with three focus areas: individual experiences monitoring, systemic monitoring and media monitoring."
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women: December 6, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of a tragic event in our country's history that is recognized as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day in 1989, fourteen young women were murdered at Montreal's l'École Polytechnique because of their gender.
See the list of significant days on the Help Make a Difference website.
OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIVERSITY NEWS
Alberta news
1. Province collaborates with First Nations, Métis and Inuit in creating Education Partnership Council: Alberta’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) leaders are collaborating with the Government of Alberta to establish a First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education Partnership Council to guide the future direction of FNMI education in Alberta. The Partnership Council’s work will identify and complement the work already being done in FNMI education in the province and is Alberta’s next step stemming from discussions at the Summit on Aboriginal Education hosted by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada earlier this year. Read the news release.
2. Reports on cultural diversity and English as a Second Language education in Alberta schools: Two reports released by the Coalition for Equal Access to Education outline how Alberta schools have not adequately addressed cultural diversity nor provided quality English as a Second Language (ESL) education. The reports are based on a survey of 242 ESL students and parents in school boards in Calgary and Edmonton. Results of the survey indicate that too little ESL instruction is provided, it is terminated too soon, and cultural diversity is not well represented and integrated in Alberta schools. The reports offer recommendations, including encouraging Alberta Education and school boards to work collaboratively with stakeholders. Read the news release issued by the Coalition for Equal Access to Education.
Read the reports:
- Evaluation of ESL Education in Alberta: Perceptions of ESL Students in Four Major School Boards
- Cultural Competence in Alberta Schools: Perceptions of ESL Families in Four Major School Boards
3. New guidelines to assist bar owners on collection of personal information: The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta has developed guidelines to assist bar operators in collecting personal information. As a result of recent amendments to the Gaming and Liquor Act, bar operators are now explicitly authorized to collect a patron’s name, age and photograph to decide whether or not to allow that patron to enter the premises. This same information can be shared with other bar owners in certain circumstances. Bar owners are not required to collect this personal information of patrons; however, if they choose to do so, they must comply with the provisions of the Personal Information Protection Act . Read the news release and the publication Guidelines for Licensed Premises: Collecting, Using and Disclosing Personal Information of Patrons.
Canadian news
1. Nominations accepted for the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Award of Excellence: The Canadian Race Relations Foundation is accepting nominations its Award of Excellence. Public, private and non-governmental organizations, agencies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence and innovation in combating racism and discrimination are invited to apply. The six categories for the award are: Aboriginal, Education, Community, Corporate, Government/ Public Sector and Youth. The deadline for submissions is December 15, 2009. Read the bulletin.
2. Nominations for Paul Yuzyk Award: Citizenship and Immigration Canada is accepting nominations for the 2010 Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism. From the website: "The Paul Yuzyk Award for Multiculturalism recognizes individuals in communities across Canada who have made exceptional contributions to multiculturalism and diversity." Nomination packages must be postmarked by March 1.
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