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Human Rights Tribunal dismisses applications against Whitby, town says

The Town of Whitby says the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario dismissed applications from Christopher Leahy and Stephen Yamada on September 28, finding the matters did not fall within the social areas covered by the Human Rights Code. The town reports about $53,682 in external legal costs so far, with final costs still undetermined.

Daily Durham branded AI-generated illustration of an empty, neutral hearing room with case folders, for a Whitby tribunal decision report.
AI-generated illustration Credit: Daily Durham / Codex

Story details

Byline
Daily Durham News
Published
Sep 30, 2026, 11:20 a.m.
Source
Town of Whitby
Original link
https://www.whitby.ca/news/posts/human-rights-tribunal-of-ontario-dismisses-applications-against-town-of-whitby-and-other-respondents
Source published
Sep 29, 2026

The Town of Whitby says the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario dismissed applications brought by Christopher Leahy and Stephen Yamada against the town, Principles Integrity, Elizabeth Roy, Rhonda Mulcahy and Niki Lundquist. The decision was issued on September 28, 2026, according to the town.

The town quoted the decision as saying the applications “have no reasonable prospect of success” because the events and allegations set out in them fell outside the social areas dealt with by the Code. The Tribunal dismissed both applications.

Before the decision, the respondents’ legal counsel had urged the applicants to withdraw their applications, the town says. Whitby reports counsel cited earlier independent investigations that found no evidence of discrimination and decisions indicating the applications fell outside the tribunal’s jurisdiction.

The town says it has incurred approximately $53,682 in external legal costs responding to the applications to date. Whitby says final costs will be determined after all related administrative and legal matters have concluded.

Source: Town of Whitby — https://www.whitby.ca/news/posts/human-rights-tribunal-of-ontario-dismisses-applications-against-town-of-whitby-and-other-respondents