Michael McKinnon is the main subject of "Still Waiting for Justice" one of the 5 films we are producing about racism in the workplace. Michael is an aboriginal corrections officer who stood up against the racism he faced at work.

The following is a 2002 summary of the decision of the Board of Inquiry on implementation:

Ontario Human Rights Commission and Michael McKinnon
and Ministry of Correctional Services, Frank Geswaldo, George Simpson, Phil James, and Jim Hume
Summary of November 29, 2002 Decision of the Board of Inquiry on Implementation (H. Albert Hubbard

Introduction

Mr. McKinnon (the Complainant), a person of native Canadian ancestry, had worked as a Corrections Officer at the Metropolitan Toronto East Detention Centre (the Centre) since December 1977. Starting in November 1988 he filed a series of complaints with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (the Commission) alleging that he faced discrimination and harassment in his workplace because of his race, ancestry and ethnic origin, and subsequently, that this discriminatory behaviour continued and he was targeted for retaliatory action.

In its initial decision, dated April 28, 1998 (at pages 149 - 150, in reference to the poisonous atmosphere), the Board of Inquiry ("the Board") stated that:

"In my opinion, the facts as I have found them, together with the inferences I have drawn, clearly establish that the Complainant suffered harassment, reprisals and discrimination at the hands of the Respondents contrary to the provisions of the Code. ...(T)he failure of its managers to take appropriate and timely measures to deal with the conduct complained of constituted an infringement by the Ministry of the Complainant's right to equal treatment without discrimination because of race, ancestry or ethnic origin in that the employer permitted a "poisoned work place environment" to exist as a condition of employment affecting the Complainant differently from others."

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