Overview
- Lawyer James Kitchen says Barry Neufeld will file a judicial review in B.C. Supreme Court by early March, aiming to overturn the tribunal’s findings.
- The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ordered $750,000 to LGBTQ+ members of the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association for injury to dignity from 2017 to 2022.
- The ruling also barred Neufeld from breaching Human Rights Code provisions on discriminatory publications and awarded $442 in lost wages to a complainant identified as Teacher C.
- The tribunal found Neufeld’s public statements about SOGI 123 and transgender people poisoned LGBTQ+ staff workplaces, calling the comments delegitimizing and harmful.
- Reactions split, with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemning the decision as Orwellian, the B.C. human rights commissioner welcoming it, and legal observers noting the award’s calculation may face scrutiny.