HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL OF ONTARIO
B E T W E E N:
Qin Si
Applicant
-and-
London Health Sciences Center
Respondent
INTERIM DECISION
Adjudicator: Jo-Anne Pickel
Indexed as: Si v. London Health Sciences Center
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS
Qin Si, Applicant
Self-represented
London Health Sciences Center, Respondent
Angela Hodgson, Representative
1This Interim Decision addresses the applicant’s request to adjourn the hearing of this matter scheduled for April 18, 2016.
2By e-mail dated March 18, 2016, the applicant requested an adjournment because she is currently in China. The respondent did not oppose the applicant’s adjournment request.
3The Notice of Hearing in this matter was sent to the parties by mail on November 19, 2015. That Notice advised the parties as follows:
If you cannot attend the hearing on the date(s) scheduled, you must act within 14 days of the date of this Notice to arrange for rescheduling. After that, a hearing will be adjourned or rescheduled only in exceptional circumstances, even if both parties agree to an adjournment.
4The Tribunal has repeatedly held that adjournments will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. It is unclear whether the applicant received the Notice of Hearing sent to her by mail. If she did, the appropriate course of action would have been for her to make her request to reschedule the hearing within 14 days of the Notice of Hearing.
5In light of the fact that the applicant is currently in China and it is unclear if she received the Notice of Hearing, I consider it appropriate to grant the applicant’s adjournment request.
Order
6The applicant’s request for adjournment is granted. The hearing will be rescheduled to take place after July 2016. The parties should take note of the disclosure deadlines and rescheduling instructions that will be set out in the Notice of Rescheduled Hearing.
Dated at Toronto, this 22nd day of March, 2016.
“Signed By”
Jo-Anne Pickel
Vice-chair