Religious Accommodation          back to Accommodation Page

What is creed?

The Ontario Human Rights Commission, the body that interprets and administers the Ontario Human Rights Code, defines creed as “a professed system and confession of faith, including both beliefs and observances or worship”

What does creed include?

Creed includes faith systems that are deistic (Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc…) and non-deistic (Aboriginal spirituality, Buddhism, etc…).

It includes objective religious tenets of a bona fide faith group AND subjective religious beliefs and observances held sincerely by an individual

What does creed NOT include?

Creed does not include belief systems that are secular, political, ethical or moral.

What are religious requirements?

• Dress codes

• Restrictions regarding certain activities

• Times/places of worship

•  Restrictions regarding times of work

What are some examples of religious requirements?

Wearing a hijab or a turban, not shaving or cutting hair, not drinking alcohol or dancing, observing faith days, praying at set times, not working on holy days, etc…  

What kind of job/course requirements may conflict with religious requirements?

• Dress codes  

• Break policies

• Rigid scheduling

• Holiday policy

• Rigid participation rules

What is religious accommodation?

Religious accommodation is a positive action taken by the university to allow individuals to practice their faith when it conflicts with work, study or residence life.   

What is the duty to accommodate? 

In Ontario, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of creed.  This means that when it is faced with a request for religious accommodation, the university has a duty to accommodate the request up to the point of undue hardship.

What is undue hardship?

Accommodation can only be denied if an employer can provide objective quantifiable evidence that the required accommodation would pose significant and irreparable harm to the operation of the University.   

What factors are considered in measuring undue hardship

Cost, outside sources of funding, health and safety concerns

What factors are not usually considered in measuring undue hardship?

Minor inconvenience and morale issues

How do I accommodate religious dress requirements that conflict with work dress code?

If the dress code can be modified without causing the organization undue hardship, it should be modified.  In some cases, dress codes have been put in place to protect the health and safety of the employees and the public.  In these cases, the following questions should be asked systematically:

1.    What is the exact nature of the religious observance?

2.    What is the reason for the work-place dress code?

3.    What measures can be taken to accommodate the person?

4.    Are there any health and safety factors?

5.    If so, do they involve the health and safety of the employee/student alone or are there health and safety consequences for other employees/students?

6.    If so, has the unit/department shown that to accommodate the request would create a health and safety hazard that would amount to undue hardship for the university?

How do I accommodate prayer requirements that conflict with work schedules?

Persons with prayer requirements often need to pray at specific times in a private area. To accommodate them, you may need to…

-       Modify break policies

-       Stagger breaks

-       Have flexible hours

-       Provide a provide area for devotions

How do I accommodate religious leave requirements?

The university has a duty to accommodate people with religious leave requirements.

-       For weekly conflicts, this might mean allowing alternative arrival and departure times, or using lunch hours or staggered work hours in exchange for early departure/late arrival.

-       For annual conflicts, this will mean exploring options for allowing the time off including days off with pay.

I believe I have been refused reasonable accommodation. What recourse do I have?

Contact the Chaplain’s office or the Human Rights Office Advisory Service.  

Where can I get information about religious requirements ?

The Chaplain’s office, in consultation with the Interfaith Council, provides interpretation of religious requirements and can suggest appropriate accommodation plans. 

The Multicultural Calendar provides definitions of all holy days and flags those where accommodation may be required.