The Roommate Police

Over the past few years, much has been said and written about the absurd rulings and proclamations from Canada's various human rights commissions.

 

One might think that the sharp criticism and all the negative attention would be enough to prompt some level of common sense to prevail. After all, the more human rights commissions are held up to ridicule, the less likely people are to support their continued existence.

 

Well, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) seems to be doing its utmost to demonstrate its irrelevance. If this is what the OHRC is concerned about these days, then presumably all other problems have been solved:

 

Landlords and those in the market for a roommate beware – the Ontario Human Rights Commission is reading your ads and it thinks you are being too picky about who you want to live in your apartment.
The commission studied 28 websites and found that up to 20 per cent of the advertisements for rental housing contain discriminatory restrictions that could keep would-be renters from living in their dream apartment.
(...)
“If you have a family and you see an ad that says an apartment is not soundproof, you may think twice about that apartment,” said commission spokesperson Afroze Edwards. “That is the sort of example we were given when we met with groups and held consultations regarding housing barriers.”
Other examples of discrimination included “ideal for quiet couple or professional single” and “perfect for female student.”

If you were seeking to parody the politically correct mindset of Canada's human rights commissions, you'd be hard-pressed to top this.

 

Things get even more ridiculous:

 

That could mean trouble for those who take out advertisements such as this one posted on the Toronto Craigslist site on Tuesday: “I’m looking for a woman roommate because women tend to be neater, and also because I just get along with women better then I do men.”
The tribunal can issue fines, and the “respondent may be ordered to correct the discriminatory situation.”
The commission’s letter suggests that online publishers stop problems before they arise by exposing users to pop-ups about unacceptable terms before each posting, and attaching a link to every page leading to more human rights information.

So a woman who would prefer a female roommate is someone of concern to the OHRC? Someone who may be subject to fines? Or "forced to correct the discriminatory situation" - whatever that means?

 

Not only that, but the OHRC apparently has no problem with inserting itself into the affairs of private businesses, either, by forcing websites to censor ads and to include OHRC literature.

 

How exactly does all of this improve human rights in Canada? If anything, it's incredibly detrimental to human rights in Canada.

 

If you're living in an apartment, and you'd like to take in a roommate, then the government has no business inserting itself in that decision.

 

Even if all the personal ads are to the liking of the OHRC, there's no way to control the final decision (let's hope). People will choose the people they're comfortable with.

 

This is the person you'll essentially be living with. The decision you make is none of the state's business.

 

It seems likely that this would scare off a lot of people from posting ads for roommates or even considering a roommate. That could mean fewer housing options.

 

What's next: are we going to crack down on personal ads? After all, isn't it "discriminatory" for people to seek relationships based on race, ethnicity, or gender and sexual orientation, for that matter?

 

"Single, white female"? Sounds like a case for the Ontario Human Rights Commission.