Landlord's refusal to rent to a single mother based on stereotypical assumptions about property maintenance constitutes sex discrimination.
The complainant, a single mother, applied to rent a house from the respondent.
The respondent refused her application because she had a dog and because he wanted a male tenant who could perform household maintenance.
The Board of Inquiry found that while the respondent would have refused the application anyway due to the dog, his refusal to consider the complainant because of her sex was an operative factor based on stereotypical assumptions.
The Board concluded this constituted sex discrimination under the Human Rights Code.
The complainant was awarded $1,000 in general damages for injury to her dignity and self-respect, but no special damages were awarded since she would not have obtained the accommodation regardless.
Conway v. Koslowski, 1993 CanLII 16494
