In a rare decision, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the landlord of 500 Dawes Road must pay a teen $10,000 for refusing to rent an apartment to the then 17-year old. The article describes the impact of losing the apartment for the teen that continued to live in an unsuitable environment, dropped out of high school and was homeless for a time before finding another apartment.
The Human Rights Legal Support Centre suggests that although only about 6% of all cases before the tribunal are related to discrimination in housing and there are a negligible amount relating to discrimination based on age; the ruling is nevertheless important as it sheds light on an often under-reported issue for many youth.
“I want youth to know there’s options out there and I want them to know what their rights actually are,” said the now-20-year old. “I didn’t really know. I was ready to give up. I don’t want any landlord to do this to anybody.”
To read the full article, visit:
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/08/19/landlord_to_pay_10000_for_denying_teen_apartment.html
If you are looking for additional resources, visit:
http://www.equalityrights.org/cera/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/CERA-Pamphlet-Youth.pdf