HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL OF ONTARIO
B E T W E E N:
Benjamin Mbaegbu
Applicant
-and-
Paralegal Society of Ontario
Respondent
DECISION
Adjudicator: Geneviève Debané
Indexed as: Mbaegbu v. Paralegal Society of Ontario
APPEARANCES
Benjamin Mbaegbu, Applicant
Self-represented
Paralegal Society of Ontario, Respondent
Robert Richler, Counsel
1The applicant alleges discrimination with respect to membership based on various grounds at an event that he attended on March 8, 2014 (the “event”).
2The respondent alleged that it did not organize the event and requested that a Summary Hearing be held because the applicant had identified the wrong respondent.
3In a Case Assessment Direction dated August 20, 2014, the Tribunal directed that a Summary Hearing would be held to determine if the Application should be dismissed on the basis that it had no reasonable prospect of success. This Summary Hearing was held on October 30, 2014, during which both parties participated.
4The applicant indicated at the commencement of the Summary Hearing that he had no issues as against the Paralegal Society of Ontario and that it would be a waste of time to proceed with the Application as against this named respondent. He stated that the Application was against a personal respondent who appears to have been responsible for the organization of the event. However, it is clear in his Application this individual is named as the contact person for the respondent. Both parties agreed that the Application was filed in error against the wrong respondent.
5In light of the submission of the parties, I issued an oral ruling dismissing the Application because I was satisfied that the applicant did not intend to file an Application as against the named respondent and there was no evidence to support that it had organized the event.
6I advised the applicant that, if he chooses to pursue the matter against another respondent, then he had to file a fresh application within one year of the last incident of alleged discrimination.
ORDER
7The Application is dismissed.
Dated at Toronto, this 30th day of October, 2014.
“Signed by”
Geneviève Debané
Vice-chair