University of British Columbia reasonably accommodated
researcher with severe mouse allergy
The duty to accommodate is a difficult process because it is
uncertain. Whether an employer has met its duty to accommodate
under human rights law requires an individualized assessment on a
case-by-case basis. In addition, the standard of "undue
hardship" is a high and moving target, and will depend on the
employer's size, nature of operations, resources and other
relevant factors. A recent decision, however, may have moved
the target closer to "reasonableness" than "the
point of undue hardship".
In Wilcox v. University of British
Columbia, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal
dismissed a human rights complaint from a former research assistant
who had developed a severe mouse allergy and was unable to perform
the duties of her position. Dr. Wilcox was employed as a
research assistant at the University's Rederivation Facility
and Animal Care Services. A core part of
