Legislation and regulations

The HRTO is established under the Human Rights Code. Applications claiming discrimination or harassment contrary to the Human Rights Code may be filed with the HRTO.

The Statutory Powers Procedure Act provides a general framework for the conduct of hearings before Ontario’s administrative tribunals.

Regulation 290/98 under the Human Rights Code describes business practices landlords can use to select prospective residential tenants. Tariff A of the Rules of Civil Procedure sets the fees which must be paid when summoning a witness.

Prejudgment and postjudgment interest rates are governed by s. 127 of the Courts of Justice Act. If an adjudicator orders someone to pay you money and orders either prejudgment or postjudgment on that money, these tables helps you calculate any interest you are owed.

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Rules

Updated August 17, 2026

HRTO Rules of Procedure .

Summary of August 2026 Rule Changes – Updated Rule 10, 13, 15, 19A, and 26 in the Rules of Procedure

HRTO Rules of Procedure – Summary of Changes Effective August 17, 2026 .

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Practice directions

Practice directions support the rules of procedure and provide guidance about what the HRTO expects of the parties and what the parties can expect of the HRTO. They help parties to understand the rules.

• UPDATED Practice Direction on Case Management Conference Calls
• UPDATED Practice Direction on Jurisdiction
• Practice Direction on Hearing Formats
• Practice Direction on Representation
• Practice Direction on Litigation Guardians
• MINOR UPDATES Practice Direction on Establishing a Regular Contact Person for an Organization
• Practice Direction on Filing Applications on Behalf of Another Person
• UPDATED Practice Direction on Communicating with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario
• Practice Direction on Electronic Filing by Licensed Representatives
• Practice Direction on Hearings
• Practice Direction on Naming Respondents
• Practice Direction on Reassignment of a Member or Panel under s. 4.4 of the SPPA
• UPDATED Practice Direction on Reconsideration
• Practice Direction on Recording Hearings
• MINOR UPDATES Practice Direction on Requests for Language Interpretation
• MINOR UPDATES Practice Direction on Requests to Expedite an Application and Requests for an Interim Remedy
• Practice Direction on Rescheduling and Adjournment Requests
• Practice Direction on Extension Requests
• UPDATED Practice Direction on Summary Hearing Requests
• Practice Direction on Intervention by a Bargaining Agent and Form 28
• MINOR UPDATES Practice Direction on Anonymization of HRTO Decisions
• NEW Practice Direction on Requests to Withdraw an Application
• NEW Practice Direction on Mandatory Mediation

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Information sheets and FAQs

Informational sheets and FAQs provide information about HRTO procedures and commonly asked questions to assist parties participating in the HRTO process.

• Mediation at the HRTO Information Sheet
• Summary Hearing FAQ
• Jurisdictional Reviews Informational Sheet and FAQ

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Decisions

To read decisions of the HRTO, visit the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII). CanLII is a non-profit organization that makes Canadian law accessible for free on the Internet.

Before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario was established, decisions under the Human Rights Code were made by Boards of Inquiry. Those decisions, issued from 1963–2002, can be accessed online.

For process-related information about decisions, including what to do if you disagree with your HRTO decision, see Application and hearing process.