Services in Ontario - Human rights at work

The information centre is a telephone line that gives general information about the Employment Standard Act. They don’t give legal advice.

The centre gives workers free information and advice. Call them to get:

• information about your rights at work
• help figuring out how to deal with an employment problem

The centre gives free legal information and advice to people who have experienced discrimination. They can:

• help you fill out an application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
• give legal advice about how to deal with discrimination
• provide legal representation at mediations and hearings, in some situations

They have an online tool that can help you figure out if your situation might be discrimination.

During the COVID-19 situation, many community legal clinics are no longer meeting with people in person, but will provide services over the phone. Call ahead for more information.

Legal Aid Ontario funds community legal clinics across Ontario to give free legal services to people with low incomes. Lawyers, community legal workers, and law students can help people with some legal problems, like social assistance, housing, and workers’ rights.

To get help from a clinic:

• your legal issue must be one the clinic deals with
• you must live in the area the clinic serves
• you must have a low income

Most clinics also give brief advice or what’s called “summary advice”, without asking about your financial situation. If your local clinic can’t help you, they may be able to refer you to someone in your community who can.

LAO has 4 free regional advice lines that give legal information and advice in French over the telephone to people living in:

• Eastern Ontario
• Northern Ontario, and parts of central Ontario including:
  • Barrie
  • Parry Sound
  • Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes regions
• Greater Toronto Area
• Southwestern Ontario

The advice lines do not help with family law or criminal law matters. 

In Toronto, the 519 is an agency committed to the health, happiness and full participation of the LGBTQ2S communities. This includes services for:

• families and children 
• counseling
• housing 
• education and training 
• newcommers 
• youth

The Law Society of Ontario has on online Law Society Referral Service that gives you the name of a lawyer or licensed paralegal who will give free legal advice for up to 30 minutes in any area of law.

If you can’t wait for a legal representative to call you back, or if you don’t have a call-back number, email lsrs@lso.ca. Or, if you’re in crisis or in custody, call 1-855-947-5255 or 416-947-5255, Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The Ontario Legal Information Centre offers a free 30-minute meeting with a lawyer to anyone in Ontario by telephone or in person at their Ottawa office in any area of law in English or French. You may have to leave a message, and a lawyer will call you back.

The Sexual Harassment and Assault Resource Exchange (SHARE) offers free, confidential legal information to people who have experienced sexual harassment or assault at work. SHARE is a project of the Human Rights Legal Support Centre. When calling, press 8 to reach the SHARE intake staff.

The hotline provides free legal assistance to people who have experienced workplace sexual harassment. People can speak to a lawyer who will:

• give advice and assistance on steps they can take themselves
• help draft letters and basic legal documents
• make referrals to pro bono and other lawyers

The Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC) is a network of sexual assault centres across Ontario. The ORCC is not a crisis service. For help right away, they have a listing of sexual assault support services across Ontario.

The ORCC’s work includes advocating for survivors of sexual violence, talking to the media about sexual violence myths, and making policy recommendations to government on issues relevant to sexual violence. Contact them using their online form.