Burnaby woman wins discrimination complaint against former landlord over smudging ceremonies
Posted March 2, 2020 8:45 pm.
Last Updated March 2, 2020 8:46 pm.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) — A landlord who accused his former tenant of smoking pot, when she was really burning sage has been ordered to pay her more than $23,000.
Crystal Smith filed a discrimination complaint against Parminder Mohan after he tried to evict her in 2017 and made derogatory comments about her aboriginal background.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal has determined the mother of two should never have been harassed for performing smudging ceremonies in her Burnaby home.
The spiritual cleansing is a cultural tradition.
“I think it is fair to say that we all hope for a home and for it to be a respite from the larger world, a place to restore ourselves, and a place where we can expect to be left alone, whether under the Residential Tenancy Act’s right to “quiet enjoyment” or simply as a human right in the general sense,” the court record read.
