Latest news with #HumanRightsTribunal
Hamilton Spectator
09-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. Bear Witness Day parade marches for Indigenous children
Children and adults alike paraded through Williams Lake on Friday, May 9, each carrying a teddy bear, marking the day in 2016 by which the Human Rights Tribunal called on Canada to fully implement Jordan's Principle. The principle, named in memory of 5-year old Jordan River Anderson, is a legal requirement ensuring First Nations children receive the services and supports they need at the time they need them. The complaint of Canada's breach on the human rights of Indigenous children was first filed in 2007 by the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS) Since 2016, non-compliance orders have continued to be made by the Tribunal. Denisiqi Services Society's Jordan's Principle coordinators Hayley Guichon and Cynthia Dick helped organize the parade which was followed by a picnic in Boitanio Park. To learn more visit the FNCFCS's website which spotlights key moments in the Tribunal's journey.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
Group files complaint to B.C. Human Rights Tribunal to remove drug clinic access fees
A complaint has been filed with B.C.'s Human Rights Tribunal over clinic fees being charged to some British Columbians accessing opioid treatments. Vancouver lawyer Jason Gratl said his clients, drug policy advocate Garth Mullins and the B.C. Association for People on Opioid Maintenance, have filed the complaint on behalf of those "who paid out-of-pocket private clinic access fees" for opioid agonist treatments. Gratl said the current system requires patients to pay private clinic access fees ranging from $60 to $100 per month in order to receive advice or prescriptions from a practitioner who's enrolled in the Medical Services Plan. He said in a release that the model "targets" drug users "on the basis of discriminatory attitudes and stereotypes" and violates provincial law that expressly prohibits the fees where publicly funded health services are provided. The complaint calls for an end to the current access fee model and for the province to pay those fees under the public health-care system. Gratl said his clients also want the province to reimburse the fees already paid by members of the class covered in the complaint, all of whom have opioid use disorder. The complaint says opioid use disorder is recognized as a disability under B.C.'s Human Rights Code. "This funding model impedes access to medical treatment for persons seeking to control and stabilize their substance use disorders," Gratl said in the release. "Requiring patients to pay out-of-pocket clinic fee[s] discriminates against persons with substance use disorder[s] who attempt to seek medical treatment." The B.C. Health Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The complaint dated Feb. 25 says Mullins, a Vancouver-based podcast host and activist, is the director of the association and a "person receiving opioid maintenance treatment." "[Opioid agonist treatment] is a medical treatment necessary to treat a medical condition and disability," the complaint says.
