About the Human Rights Office

The Human Rights Office is made up of a dedicated, accessible team committed to supporting a respectful, inclusive and accessible campus. With a focus on confidentiality, care and fairness, we provide crucial resources and guidance to ensure a safe, equitable environment for all.

Mission, vision, mandate and values

Mission

Our mission is to foster a learning and working environment at the University of Ottawa where respect, wellness, safety and inclusion for all are priorities. To achieve this, we provide equitable, impartial and effective advisory, prevention and support services.

Vision

The Human Rights Office (HRO) provides expertise within our institution to help build an inclusive University community that values, respects and celebrates every individual’s dignity and worth so they can reach their full potential.

Mandate

We play a leadership role within the University by providing staff and students with advisory, prevention and support services pertaining to:

inclusion
employment equity
accessibility
prevention of harassment and discrimination
prevention of sexual violence
rights and responsible conduct

The HRO receives and responds to human rights complaints effectively, independently and impartially. We develop, implement and assess human rights regulations and procedures.

Values

Community-centred services, respect, expertise, integrity, impartiality, collaboration and accountability.

Our services

All our services are free, bilingual and confidential (except in exceptional circumstances when, for example, someone is at risk of harm or we have a legal obligation to take action).

In offering our services, we foster a safe environment in which individuals can report an incident without escalation or fear of reprisal.

We can, for example:

Schedule a 30-minute session to discuss a situation related to harassment, discrimination or a breach of responsible conduct
Provide an overview of complaint options and processes, in accordance with the following:
Offer short-term listening and support to survivors of sexual violence and assistance in implementing academic and workplace accommodations
Propose alternative methods of conflict resolution when appropriate such as mediation or informal discussions between the opposing parties
Investigate formal complaints
“Warm refer” to appropriate services on and off campus
Answer general questions regarding the policies we oversee, specific situations and confidentiality
Provide information on establishing special employment programs
Provide advice on inclusive and non-discriminatory practices
Authorize access requests for information collected through the Count Me In survey in line with campus EDI initiatives and respond to questions and concerns related to this initiative
Offer a variety of training activities

Meet the team

Your rights

We can also provide information on the rights of members of the University community, in keeping with our mandate. The examples below will help you better understand your rights in general, as well as your rights if you’re involved in a complaint process.

Contact and feedback

Contact us

To share a concern, book an appointment of file a complaint, visit our . One of our advisors will then contact you to discuss next steps.

Provide your feedback

We value any comments or suggestions you may have related to services you’ve received. We invite you to tell us about your experience so that we can improve our services, our policies and the level of awareness and accessibility across the campus.

By email:
[email protected] or [email protected] (for accessibility feedback)
By phone:
613-562-5222
In person :
University of Ottawa Human Rights Office
Thompson Hall
25, University Private
(Room 214)
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1N 9B1
Directions to the Human Rights Office - University of Ottawa
The Human Rights Office is located in Thompson Hall (THN). It is easily accessible via the overpass that connects several campus buildings.
Option 1: From Morisset Hall (MRT)
1.    Enter Morisset Building and go to the 2nd floor to access the overpass
2.    Follow the overpass toward Thompson Hall (THN).
3.    Once at Thompson, the entrance to the Human Rights Office is clearly marked (facing office 224).
Option 2: From Fauteux Hall (FTX)
1.    Enter Fauteux Building and go to the 3rd floor to access the overpass
2.    Follow the overpass toward Thompson Building (THN).
3.    Once at Thompson, the entrance to the Human Rights Office is clearly marked (facing office 224).
Accessible Option
A visitor with reduced mobility can reach our offices by parking near the Pérez Hall and taking the elevator directly to the overpass level (at Pérez, this is the 3rd floor).
Individuals who hold an accessible parking permit issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation must contact the Parking and Sustainable Transportation team at [email protected] to be able to use the accessible parking spaces on campus. Three accessible parking spaces are available in the Pérez garage, located at 610 Cumberland Street.