Report pans York U practice

An Ontario Human Rights Commission investigation has found that York University’s long-standing practice of cancelling classes on Jewish holidays discriminates against students of other religions.
The investigator’s report must now go before the commissioners themselves for consideration.
A recent report prepared by York professor Thomas Klassen paints a highly diverse picture of the 51,000-student campus, with Jewish students estimated to represent about 5.8 per cent of students, Muslim students about 4.8 per cent, Catholic students 34.9 per cent, Protestant 22.1 per cent, other Christians 7.3 per cent, Hindu 3.6 per cent, Buddhist 2.1 per cent and Sikh 2 per cent.
In her report to the Human Rights Commission, which was sent Friday to Noble and university officials, investigator Kim Hanson concludes the practice violates the Ontario Human Rights Code’s protection against discrimination based on a person’s “creed.”