$50,000 General Damages For Sexual Harassment- By Affidavit Evidence

In Complainant v 1957753 Alberta Ltd. o/a 4 Seasons Transport, 2025 AHRC 63, a human rights complaint proceeded to hearing by affidavit evidence only, and the complainant was successful in establishing sexual harassment and a large general damages award.

This case is important for several reasons, including that it is rare that a decision would be decided by affidavit evidence only, and $50,000 is a high general damages award in Alberta human rights.

Facts

The following is a summary of the facts that appeared to be pertinent to the decision:

• Note: this hearing was done by affidavit evidence of the complainant. It appears to have been done this way because the only participation of the employer in the process was its initial response to the complaint, which denied the complaint and said it was a personal matter. So, the evidence summarized here is the evidence of the complainant that was accepted by the Tribunal