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Abstract
In planning matters, human rights challenges are increasing, so planning scholars and practitioners must understand the issues and find ways to address them. In this Viewpoint I argue that the Canadian state, through constitutional and quasi-constitutional protections as well as its active judiciary, has strengthened the rights of Canadians to tackle issues at the city level. Nonetheless, the pursuit of these rights is ongoing, especially regarding issues of access to housing, universal accessibility to public services, and freedoms of expression and religion. Educating practicing and budding planners, and the public, about the implications of human rights on planning is a key way forward.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I acknowledge my several research assistants who contributed to the research.
RESEARCH SUPPORT
This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [435-2017-0040].
Notes
1 A secondary suite is a separate dwelling located within a single-detached, semi-detached, or row house with its own living, cooking, sleeping, and sanitary facilities (City of Edmonton, Citationn.d.).
2 Analogous grounds are additional prohibited grounds of discrimination, over and above those enumerated in Section 15 of the Charter. The courts can interpret the Charter broadly to arrive at these grounds.
3 The Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement is issued under the Planning Act (Citation1990, Section 3(5)(a)) and requires that all decisions in the Province affecting land use planning matters “shall be consistent with” the Provincial Policy Statement.
4 In Canada, “duty to consult” with Indigenous peoples arises when the government considers an action that might adversely affect potential or established Aboriginal or Treaty rights.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sandeep Agrawal
SANDEEP AGRAWAL ([email protected]) is professor and director of the School of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Alberta, Canada.