The Alberta Human Rights Tribunal awarded lost wages and $30,000 in general damages to a female mechanic who was chastised and criticized at work in relation to both her disabilities and gender, and then dismissed while on leave, holding that the employer’s actions created a poisoned work environment and that her gender and disabilities were factors in her dismissal.
The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board dismissed a family status and sex discrimination grievance filed by a pregnant correctional officer who requested remote work (work from home) to accommodate her pregnancy-related medical needs. Finding that the employer’s request for additional medical information, as well as its inquiry into whether the grievor needed to continue her family status accommodations in light of her pregnancy-related request, were both part of a legitimate effort to satisfy its accommodation obligations, the Board dismissed both grievances. In so doing, the Board concluded that, while the grievor did not initially receive her preferred accommodation of remote work, she had been accommodated and had not suffered any loss of pay or any other adverse effect that would give rise to a finding of discrimination.
