Did you know? What to know before filing a human rights complaint

Did you Know? What to know before filing a complaint.

Are you being discriminated against? You may want to file a human rights complaint.

Does the Alberta Human Rights Act cover your situation? You can find out before filing a complaint.

An officer with the Alberta Human Rights Commission can talk to you about your situation and give you more information about the Alberta Human Rights Act.
The Commission cannot provide legal advice about your situation. However, they can answer questions that you may have about the Alberta Human Rights Act or your situation.
It does not cost anything to speak with a human rights officer. The officer can provide free information about the Alberta Human Rights Act.

Talking to a human rights officer is confidential.

You can share your story with a human rights officer. The human rights officer will not share your story with anyone.

Filing a human rights complaint is free.

It does not cost anything to file a human rights complaint.

You must file a human rights complaint in writing.

You can call the Commission if you have questions about your situation. But you must file a human rights complaint in writing. There are two ways to file a complaint in writing:
Fill out the Human Rights Complaint Form. It is on the Commission’s website.
Write a letter to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. The letter must have all of the information that the Human Rights Complaint Form asks for.

You can get help with filing a human rights complaint

You can get help from:
A person that you know and trust. A friend, family member, or settlement worker can help you fill out the form and file the complaint on your behalf.
Sometimes, a human rights officer can help you file a complaint if you need help. For example, if you are new to Canada. Contact the Alberta Human Rights Commission to find out if you qualify.

You do not need to hire a lawyer to file a human rights complaint.

However, if you want legal advice and decide to hire a lawyer, you will need to pay for the lawyer’s services yourself. The Commission will not pay your legal costs.
If you would like legal advice, there are options for getting help. For more information on getting legal assistance in Alberta, please visit the Canadian Legal FAQs website.

You can choose to withdraw your complaint at any time.

There is more than one reason to withdraw your complaint. For example, the landlord read your complaint and fixed the situation. You may also have a personal reason. You can talk to a human rights officer if you want to withdraw your complaint.

Do you still have questions about filing a human rights complaint?

How to file a Human Rights Complaint in Alberta – Handout
Alberta Human Rights Commission: Making and Resolving Human Rights Complaints
Alberta Human Rights Commission: Contact Information

You should not rely on this article for legal advice. It provides general information on Alberta law only.

Funding for this article was provided by the Human Rights Education and Multiculturalism Fund.

For more information on human rights, visit: http://www.albertahumanrights.ab.ca/