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Securing employer victories at the Human Rights Tribunal is generally as promising a result as pollsters and prognosticators had foreseen for Donald Trump.

I have written in earlier columns about how the tribunal is rife with frivolous claims of discrimination supported by little more than bald, often irrelevant, allegations. It is a complainant centric forum that provides employees clear paths to success along with free lawyers provided by the Ontario government.

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Yet there are no consequences for employees who are unsuccessful, to disincent even those complaints that have little merit. The problem is exacerbated by mediation that takes place before hearings, and which amount to legal shakedowns, replete with constant reminders of how expensive the process will be if they don’t settle, even if the employer wins.

However, a recent case gives employers hope. Tenaris Algoma Tubes not only secured an unequivocal victory but did so swiftly, avoiding a costly hearing altogether.