Ontario’s courts have once again proven that serious consequences ensue for employers who do not protect their employees from harassment. In Stride v. Syra Group Holdings, 2024 ONSC 2169 (unreported), a recent Ontario Superior Court decision, the court issued an award of $125,000 in human rights damages and $50,000 in moral damages for the abusive and harsh treatment the plaintiff endured while working as a property administrator at one of Syra’s properties, where she also lived. This was in excess of the eight months’ notice she was awarded as a result of her dismissal.
Between 2016 and 2017, two tenants, Dwayne and Jamie Jetty, each initiated their own campaign of harassment against the plaintiff, Ms. Stride. Jamie threatened to beat her with a hammer and kicked her dog, whereas one year later, Dwayne made sexual comments about Ms. Stride, described how he would sexually assault her, and touched her inappropriately. When she complained of this harassment to her superiors, they ignored her complaints and told her to contact the police if she felt unsafe.
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