BC Human Rights Tribunal

Complaint process privacy policy

Last updated: November 15, 2024

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Page contents

• 1. Scope of Policy
• 2. Personal Information
• 3. Collection of Personal Information
• 4. Disclosure of Information
  • 4.1 Information is shared with the parties
  • 4.2 Mediation
  • 4.3 Decisions
  • 4.4 Hearing Schedules
  • 4.5 Complaint File
  • 4.6 Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
• 5. Access to Information Requests
• 6. Limiting publication
• 7. Email
• 8. How to contact us

1. Scope of Policy

This policy describes the information we collect in the complaint process under the Human Rights Code, and how we use that information.

2. Personal Information

Personal information means information that identifies an individual and is recorded. Personal information includes things such as an individual’s name, address, birth date, e-mail address and phone number.

3. Collection of Personal Information

The Tribunal is responsible for receiving and processing human rights complaints under the Human Rights Code. The Tribunal collects and uses personal information to process complaints. The Tribunal may collect and use contact information to conduct surveys to evaluate and improve its services under s. 59.1 of the Administrative Tribunals Act.

4. Disclosure of Information

Rule 5 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Practice and Procedure addresses public access to the complaint file and process.

4.1 Information is shared with the parties

The information in the complaint file is shared with the parties to the complaint. You can tell the Tribunal not to share your phone number or email address with the parties. However, you must share an address for delivering documents to you.

The Tribunal collects demographic information on a voluntary basis. This information is confidential. It is not shared with the parties. It may be shared with the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner on a confidential basis.

4.2 Mediation

The mediation process is private and confidential. The Tribunal’s Mediation Policy applies. This process allows parties to meet with a mediator to resolve a complaint privately.

4.3 Decisions

The Tribunal must make its decisions accessible to the public: Administrative Tribunals Act , s. 50(4). The Tribunal puts most of its decisions on its website.

The Tribunal may make decisions about many types of questions during a complaint process. For example, the Tribunal may decide whether to:

• accept a late-filed complaint for filing
• defer a complaint
• add a respondent to a complaint
• order a party to share documents
• dismiss a complaint without a hearing

4.4 Hearing Schedules

The Tribunal puts on its website a list of the complaints that have a hearing set in the next 90 days. The hearing list includes:

• the names of the parties
• the case number
• areas and grounds of discrimination
• place and date of hearing

4.5 Complaint File

The Tribunal’s file about a complaint is not available to the public. However, from the time that a complaint appears on the Tribunal’s hearing list, and during the hearing itself, a non-party, including the media, may apply to the Tribunal to request access to:

• complaint form
• response to complaint form
• amendment forms
• Tribunal notices about the hearing
• preliminary decisions
• exhibits admitted into evidence

Addresses and personal contact information stay private.

The public can attend a hearing. The public does not generally have access to recordings or transcripts of a hearing.

See the Public Access & Media Policy .

4.6 Office of the Human Rights Commissioner

The Tribunal must give copies of complaints and responses to the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. The Tribunal may provide the Commissioner with other records in a complaint file.

5. Access to Information Requests

A person can make a request for access to other information about a complaint under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act . See the Freedom of Information Request Policy .

6. Limiting publication

You can ask the Tribunal to limit the information it makes public. You can also ask the Tribunal to order a publication ban. Use a Form 7.1 General Application to apply. For more information, see how to apply to limit publication of personal information on the Tribunal website.

7. Email

The Tribunal accepts complaints by email and uses email to communicate with participants who give us their email address. When you choose to communicate by email, you should consider that email communications are generally less secure than other methods, such as mail, fax, or hand delivery.

8. How to contact us

If you have questions about this policy, or if you have concerns about a specific situation, you can contact the Registrar by phone, email, or mail:

Telephone: (604) 775-2000
Toll Free: 1-888-440-8844
TTY: (604) 775-2021

Email: BCHumanRightsTribunal@gov.bc.ca

British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
1270 – 605 Robson Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 5J3