Board To Hear Complaint Against Car Dealership

HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION--Board To Hear Complaint Against Car Dealership

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission has appointed a board of inquiry to consider a complaint of employment discrimination against the former Taylor Ford Lincoln car dealership in Halifax.

Tara Leigh Hazelwood of Beaver Bank complained to the commission in December 2000 that she was terminated from her job as a sales and leasing consultant at the dealership in May 2000 after she informed her employer that she was pregnant.

Senator Donald Oliver has been appointed as chair of the inquiry. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 24, at the Cambridge Suites Hotel in Halifax. The hearing is expected to continue until Thursday, Jan. 27.

A complaint is referred to a board of inquiry when the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission believes a prima facie case of discrimination is made after an investigation by a human rights officer. The chief judge of the Provincial Court selects a board chair from a roster and the commissioners ratify the nomination. The complaint decision is then in the hands of the independent board.

Evidence collected during investigation of a complaint is presented at the hearing by the commission's legal counsel. The complainant and respondent can make submissions and question witnesses. The board chair then decides whether discrimination has occurred.

All parties have a right to appeal decisions of boards of inquiry to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal.