• Allegation — A claim of harassment, bullying or violence of a certain nature within the workplace
• Anti-Asian — racism refers to historical and ongoing discrimination, negative stereotyping, and injustice experienced by people of Asian origin. These experiences are based on others’ assumptions about ethnicity or nationality and are reinforced by harmful tropes such as “Perpetual Foreigner,” “Model Minority,” or “Yellow Peril.” These stereotypes operate at both individual and systemic levels, leading to the social, economic, political, and cultural marginalization of Asian communities in Canada and Ontario
• Anti-Black — racism is prejudice, attitudes, beliefs, stereotyping, and discrimination directed at people of African descent and rooted in their unique history and experience of enslavement and its legacy. It is deeply entrenched in Canadian institutions, policies, and practices, to the extent that it is either functionally normalized or rendered invisible to the larger White society. It is manifest in social, economic, and political marginalization of Black Canadians
• Anti-Indigenous — racism refers to race-based discrimination, negative stereotyping, and systemic injustice experienced by First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. It arises from colonial legacies and entrenched power imbalances, and is evident in outcomes such as inequities in education, employment, health care, justice, child welfare, and housing
• Antisemitism — is hostility, prejudice, or discrimination toward Jews as individuals or as a group based on religious, ethnic, or cultural identity. It may include hate speech, vandalism, exclusion, conspiracy theories, or institutional bias against Jewish people or community institutions
• Appropriate Authority — This person is responsible for overseeing the proper implementation, administration and enforcement of this Policy. At Michener the Appropriate Authority is the People & Culture department for all employees, or the Dean of Students for all matters pertaining to students

The following will assist in the identification of harassment and discrimination.

• Bullying — A range of behaviours in which targeted individuals are repeatedly, and over time, treated in a disrespectful, harmful, or abusive way. It can be initiated deliberately or unconsciously and may lead to a person feeling upset, afraid, isolated, or humiliated. Bullying can be enacted alone or as part of a group
• Complainant — A person who is or has been subjected to, or a person who has witnessed alleged discrimination or harassment
• Discrimination — Differential treatment based on a personal characteristic which has an adverse impact on an individual or group. Examples of personal characteristics include race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status, disability, gender identity and gender expression
• Harassment — Harassment is a form of discrimination defined as a course of vexatious comments or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. In some cases, a single action may be classified as harassment. This includes harassment that occurs virtually (such as cyber bullying) through the use of information and communications technology, such as email, messaging platforms, or social media. Harassment is a form of discrimination defined as a course of vexatious comments or conduct that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. In some cases, a single action may be classified as harassment
• Implicit bias — also known as unconscious bias, refers to mental attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions outside of conscious awareness. These biases emerge from automatic social conditioning rather than deliberate intent and can influence behavior in subtle yet impactful ways, including decisions about race, gender, nationality, ability, and other protected characteristics. In OHRC terms, implicit bias plays a role in racial profiling, which courts in Ontario recognize often stems from unconscious beliefs or stereotypes rather than overt prejudice
• Incident — The event in which the allegation was perceived to be present
• Incivility — Behaviours that are rude, disrespectful, inconsiderate or insensitive. There may not be an intention to harm, but the end result of such behaviours makes for an unpleasant work environment, decreased performance and commitment to the organization, co-workers and patients
• Intersectionality — refers to the unique forms of discrimination or disadvantage that arise when multiple identity grounds—such as race, gender, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation — intersect in an individual’s lived experience. The Ontario Human Rights Commission defines this as:
  • “Intersectional oppression arises out of the combination of various oppressions which, together, produce something unique and distinct from any one form of discrimination standing alone.… An intersectional approach takes into account the historical, social and political context and recognizes the unique experience of the individual based on the intersection of all relevant grounds.”
  • In practice, intersectionality means recognizing, for instance, that a racialized woman or a person with a disability and a religious identity may experience discrimination differently than individuals who share only one identity characteristic. This approach allows institutions to better acknowledge and address complex, overlapping forms of harm.
• Islamophobia — are stereotypes, bias, or acts of hostility toward Muslims or perceived followers of Islam. It can manifest in individual behaviour or systemic policies and includes viewing Muslims as security threats or endorsing exclusionary attitudes—often at both societal and institutional levels
• Micro-aggressions — are subtle, often unintentional verbal, behavioral, or environmental slights that minoritize individuals by conveying bias or negative assumptions tied to a protected identity. While not usually overt, these actions or remarks operate as everyday racism or subtle and subversive discrimination, which the OHRC recognizes as common and harmful. Such behaviour may seem minor on its own, but patterns of micro-aggressions reflect underlying stereotypes or systemic bias that contribute to exclusion, diminished belonging, and inequality.
  • The Negative Behaviour Continuum provides context to behaviours that are considered breaches of the above listed policies and ensures that an open and consistent approach is taken when addressing allegations.
• Respondent — An individual who is alleged to have exhibited conduct that is the subject of a complaint
• Reprisal — Any form of retaliation against an individual who has or has been believed to have had engaged with the conflict resolution process under this policy. This includes, submitting a complaint, participating in interviews or any facilitated discussions. Activities that are considered reprisal in this context may include any form of reprimand, intimidation, and/or exclusion
• Sexual Harassment — Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker because of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, where the course of comment or conduct is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome. Making a sexual solicitation or advance where the person making the solicitation or advance is in a position to confer, grant or deny benefit or advancement to the worker and the person knows or ought reasonably to know that the solicitation or advance is unwelcome. Reprising an individual who rejected a solicitation or sexual advance
  • In some cases, a single action may constitute sexual harassment. This includes harassment that occurs virtually through the use of information and communications technology, such as email, messaging platforms, or social media
  • Romantic or sexual relationships between a supervisor and an employee, student, physician, researcher, intern, or volunteer whom the individual supervises, are prohibited due to the inherent influence, authority, or power imbalance in the relationship, which may compromise consent or create perceived or actual conflicts of interest. Individuals in this situation should immediately disclose the relationship, even if it is consensual between both parties, to their manager or People & Culture representative so that appropriate measures can be taken. Measures will include reassigning reporting responsibilities to others. Failure to disclose the relationship will be subject to disciplinary action
• Systemic discrimination — refers to patterns of behaviour, policies, or practices that are embedded in the structures of an organization or sector. On the surface they may seem neutral, but they create or perpetuate a position of relative disadvantage for individuals or groups protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code. These impacts may be unintended, yet persistent and harmful, and often require reviewing numerical data, policies, decision-making, and organizational culture to identify and remedy
• Violence — The use, threat or attempt of physical force against another person that causes, or could cause, physical injury
• Witness — A person who witnessed first-hand, the incident(s) pertaining to the allegation
• Workplace — Includes the campus, offices and buildings of UHN, the cafeterias, washrooms, locker rooms, work sites, as well as work assignments outside of UHN property, off-site work related social events and functions, work related seminars, conferences and training, work-related travel, telephone communications, faxes, e-mail, social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Twitter), or elsewhere if the person is harassed or discriminated against s a result of work related responsibilities, which may include a work related relationship
• Workplace Investigations Consultant — A person designated by People and Culture to receive the workplace complaint form, facilitate the resolution process and/or investigate the complaint
• Xenophobia — describes attitudes, prejudices and behaviour that reject, exclude and often vilify persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to the community, society or national identity. This understanding is grounded in the OHRC’s work on creed and racism, where xenophobic bias often overlaps with discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or religion