Your Complaint and the Commissioners
Complaints that are not resolved or dismissed by the Director are fully investigated by a Human Rights Officer.
Once an investigation is complete, the HRO prepares an investigation report that summarizes the complaint and evidence gathered during the investigation and makes a recommendation to either dismiss the complaint, or to refer it to an independent human rights Board of Inquiry.
The parties are provided with the investigation report and are provided 15 days to make written submissions on the recommendation.
After the parties’ written submissions are received, the complaint, investigation report and written submissions are placed before the Commissioners at one of their regular meetings to make a final decision. The Commissioners, as a group, can accept the HRO’s recommendation as presented or return it to the HRO to gather further information or answer questions they may have.
The Commissioners are not bound by the HROs recommendations. They make their decision based on the investigation report and any written submissions made by the parties. The Commissioners decision is final and can only be appealed through a Judicial Review at the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.
All parties will be notified of these decisions in writing from the Chair of the Commission.