After a five-year legal process, a client of CLAS’s Human Rights Clinic obtained a significant decision from the BC Human Rights Tribunal in January 2026. The Tribunal awarded $60,000 in compensation for injury to dignity, along with more than $30,000 in expenses. The Tribunal also ordered $10,000 in costs against the respondent for his conduct during the proceedings.

Every human rights case is different, but this one stands out because of the significant compensation awarded and the Tribunal’s detailed account of how the tenant was treated.

Background

The complainant, Catherine Lloyd*, is a senior living with multiple disabilities. According to the Tribunal’s findings, over a period of nearly two years, her landlords subjected her to a “relentless, escalating campaign” targeting her because of her disabilities and retaliating against her for asserting her rights.

The Tribunal found that instead of implementing simple, low-cost accommodations Ms. Lloyd needed for her disabilities, the landlords showed a complete indifference to her needs. It concluded that their conduct amounted to discrimination under the Human Rights Code.

Tribunal Findings

In its written decision, the Tribunal described the landlords’ conduct as a “relentless, escalating campaign” directed at Ms. Lloyd. The conduct it identified included:

  • Repeated attempts to evict her
  • An illegal lockout
  • Shutting off heat to the unit
  • The use of cameras and speakers installed around the property to monitor and harass Ms. Lloyd and her guests

The Tribunal characterized the overall pattern of behaviour as “severe, prolonged, continuous, and escalating.” It further found that this conduct constituted a “targeted campaign of discrimination” against a tenant with disabilities, carried out with the objective of having her leave the tenancy.

Remedies Awarded

The Tribunal ordered several forms of remedy.

First, it awarded $60,000 as compensation for injury to dignity, feelings, and self-respect. This type of award is intended to recognize the personal impact of discrimination, including harm that is not purely financial. The amount in this case is the highest ever awarded by the Tribunal in a tenancy case, and reflects the Tribunal’s assessment of the seriousness and duration of the conduct.

Second, the Tribunal ordered reimbursement of more than $30,000 in expenses incurred by Ms. Lloyd in connection with the discrimination.

Finally, the Tribunal made an additional costs award of $10,000 against the respondent landlord, Wayne Rosso. This was based on findings about his conduct during the hearing process, which the Tribunal said included unfounded accusations, smears, and invectives against Ms. Lloyd and her counsel, as well as lying under oath.

Broader Context

Human rights law requires landlords to make reasonable adjustments to support tenants with disabilities, unless doing so would cause serious and demonstrable hardship. This includes both responding appropriately to accommodation requests and refraining from conduct that undermines a tenant’s ability to live safely and with dignity in their home.

This decision illustrates how the Tribunal may respond where it finds not only a failure to accommodate, but also a sustained pattern of adverse treatment connected to disability. It also highlights that conduct during proceedings themselves can have consequences, including separate cost awards.

Read the full decision here: Lloyd v. Fernanda Almeida and others (No.2), 2026 BCHRT 12  

*The complainant has consented to being identified in this post. It is CLAS’s practice not to name clients publicly without their consent.