Religious organization's termination of employees for living in common-law relationships constituted unlawful discrimination based on marital status.
The complainants, Kelly Parks and Holly MacIntyre, alleged that they were discriminated against on the basis of marital status when their employment at Christian Horizons group homes was terminated because they were living in common-law relationships.
The Board of Inquiry found that Christian Horizons directly discriminated against the complainants.
While Christian Horizons qualified as a religious organization serving the interests of persons identified by creed, it failed to establish that its lifestyle requirement was a bona fide occupational qualification under s. 23(1)(a) of the Human Rights Code.
The requirement was not applied consistently, and the hiring procedures did not clearly indicate that only those whose lifestyles were compatible with Evangelical Christian doctrinal principles were qualified for employment.
The complaints against the individual respondents were dismissed.
Parks v. Christian Horizons (No. 1), 1992 CanLII 14242 (ON HRT)
