Human Rights Commission expresses concerns about new Cobourg bylaw

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Ontario Human Rights Commission has written to Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland to reiterate the importance of shelter availability in a time of homelessness, and to express concerns about the town's new Emergency Care Establishment Bylaw that went into effect prior to an agreement being finalized on the operations of a prospective emergency shelter at 310 Division St.

And because a copy went to Warden Brian Ostrander, the letter was on the agenda at Wednesday's meeting of county council's Social Services committee.

“The ORHC is concerned that Cobourg's Emergency Care Establishment Bylaw may impose unnecessary restrictions on emergency and transitional housing that could have a discriminatory impact on people protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code,” the letter said.

The correspondence referred to its Room For Everyone study of 2013 that set out an overview of human-rights responsibilities in licensing housing and set out guidelines on the kind of health and safety standards that could legitimately be regulated.

“Rules and regulations should be based on objective evidence that they are necessary to address legitimate health and safety concerns, and not stereotypes or discriminatory attitudes towards those living there. Rules and requirements should also be practical, narrowly tailored and manageable,” it said.

A licensing bylaw that prevents or delays a facility from opening, it continued, reduces the availability of housing and creates a human-rights concern.

The bylaw went into effect before the finishing touches could be put on an operational agreement to which the Town of Cobourg, the County of Northumberland and Transition House would have been parties.

The committee accepted the letter for information purposes without comment.

A last-minute addition to their agenda was the letter to the Human Rights Commission from the town solicitor. It was also received for information purposes without comment.