1.1. The Working Group recommends that:
• the Ontario Government adopt standard definitions of ‘hate incident’ and ‘hate crime’ for all public purposes in the province, including victim services, criminal justice, statistical classification, public education, policy and program development, and program/project funding allocations; and
• ‘hate incident’ means any act or omission, whether criminal or not, that expresses bias, prejudice, bigotry or contempt toward a vulnerable or disadvantaged community or its members. A ‘vulnerable or disadvantaged community’ is any group or community identified as such on the basis of characteristics protected by the Criminal Code of Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Ontario Human Rights Code, or Section 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms [Charter]
And from the report’s glossary:
“Bigot: One stubbornly or intolerantly devoted to one’s biased opinions and prejudices.”
