Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Act introduced in Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act (Supporting Survivors and Challenging Sexual Violence and Harassment), came into effect September 8, 2016.
The amendments will enhance employer responsibilities with respect to workplace harassment, including workplace sexual harassment, by:
- Amending the definition of workplace harassment to specifically include a definition of workplace sexual harassment;
- Requiring new elements that will need to be included in workplace harassment programs; and,
- Adding new employer duties that will help to protect workers from workplace harassment.
University of Toronto has updated its workplace harassment policy and program. The Policy with Respect to Workplace Harassment is found on the Governing Council website (see Workplace Harassment, Policy with Respect to [May 13, 2010 (amended Sept 8, 2016)].
The University’s workplace harassment program is comprised of the:
- Guideline for Employees on Concerns & Complaints Regarding Prohibited Discrimination & Discriminatory Harassment and the
- Human Resources Guideline on Civil Conduct
Both are available on the Policies section of the Human Resources & Equity website.
If you have questions about the amended policy or guidelines, please contact your HR Divisional Office or contact hrandequity@utoronto.ca.