Have a question about human rights, harassment, discrimination, or the duty to accommodate at Queen’s? We’re here to help.
Human rights advisors are always willing to meet with members of the Queen’s community and talk about their rights and responsibilities. That being said, we know that it can sometimes be intimidating to schedule a face-to-face meeting with an advisor and that you might have questions that you want to ask us anonymously.
“Ask a Human Rights Advisor” allows students, staff, and faculty to ask general questions about topics such as harassment, discrimination, reprisal, the duty to accommodate, Queen’s policies, the Ontario Human Rights Code, or the services offered by HREO.
You can browse answers to previously submitted questions below. If you have a question you don’t see answered, feel free to submit it using this form. We also share answers to questions that have been submitted on the HREO Instagram page.
Please keep in mind that we may not be able to respond to every question that is submitted. If you’d like advice about a specific situation or would prefer to speak directly with a human rights advisor, please complete the Meeting Request Form and we’ll be happy to connect with you.
General Questions About Human Rights Advisory Services:
Anyone at Queen's, including students, staff, and faculty, can access human rights advisory services.
You do not need to file a complaint to meet with a human rights advisor. While a human rights advisor will discuss the options available to you during your meeting (including complaint processes), a human rights advisor will never make you file a complaint. Human rights advisors respect your autonomy and agency.
You can always come and talk to us if you have concerns about something that has happened. Depending on the circumstances of the incident and its connection to the university - for instance, if there were Queen’s students involved in the incident or if the incident took place at a Queen’s event - human rights advisors may be able to provide information, referrals, or discuss available options and/or resources.
Repeated, deliberate acts of deadnaming may violate the Queen's Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Response Policy. With your consent, we may be able to have conversations with the appropriate people to respond to or remedy this situation. You also have the option to submit a Complaint. If you decide that you would like to do this, a human rights advisor can give you guidance about what the Complaint Procedure looks like. We are happy to meet with you to confidentially discuss your options.
Questions from Students:
We're sorry this happened to you. If you're comfortable doing so, please meet with a human rights advisor about this. We can give you guidance on what options you might have under Queen's policies. If you want to have a conversation with the people involved directly, we can also coach you on how you can do that.
We do not force anyone to take steps that they don't want to take, so you don't have to be worried about being pressured into doing something that you don't feel comfortable doing. We're here to confidentially listen and advise you on your options, and we can also direct you to resources on campus who can provide you with additional supports if you are struggling to process what happened.
Anyone who witnesses the use of a slur or hears about the use of slurs can speak with a human rights advisor as well, even if the slur was not directed toward them.
Students registered with QSAS are not required to share information about their disability in order to have their accommodations implemented in class. If your professor is doing this, you can meet with a human rights advisor to discuss your options.
No. There is never any reason for a human rights advisor to speak with a professor without your consent. If you do not want your professor to know that you have met with a human rights advisor, the human rights advisor you meet with will respect your choice.
Questions from Employees:
No. Employers have a duty to accommodate an employee’s religious or spiritual practices to the point of undue hardship, including by providing time off for religious observances. Your supervisor should offer you options to have the time off without losing wages or using vacation time. These options might include special/compassionate paid leave, scheduling changes, overtime, use of lieu time, or compressed work week arrangements.
If you have questions about how you should approach requesting a supervisor for time off for a religious observance, you can meet with a human rights advisor.
No. There is never any reason for a human rights advisor to speak with your supervisor without your consent. If you do not want your supervisor to know that you have met with a human rights advisor, the human rights advisor you meet with will respect your choice.
Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, everyone has a right to equal treatment in employment without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family status and record of offences. If you feel that you are being treated differently based on a protected ground (one of the grounds listed above), you may be experiencing discrimination.
Much like the Human Rights Code, the Queen’s Harassment and Discrimination Prevention and Response Policy prohibits discrimination. If you feel you have experienced discrimination, you can file a Complaint under the Complaint Intake and Investigation Procedure.
If you have questions about this process or want to know what other options may be available to you, you can meet with a human rights advisor.