Interpretive bulletins

The Commission publishes interpretive bulletins related to human rights law. Interpretive bulletins offer a comprehensive discussion of important human rights topics. They cite case law, provide descriptions of legal principles drawn from the case law, and offer practical information.

Please note: The dates beside the titles listed below are the dates of the current versions of the interpretive bulletins. If you have a previous version of an interpretive bulletin (dated earlier than the date below), please discard it and use the current version, which you can link to below or from the left navigation. 

Alberta's human rights legislation was amended on October 1, 2009. The Commission is in the process of updating its interpretive bulletins to reflect the amendments. If a bulletin is dated before October 2009, it has not yet been updated. Even if the bulletin has not been updated, most of the information is still current. The most notable changes to the information will be:

  • The legislation is now called the Alberta Human Rights Act (previously Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act).
  • The Commission is now called the Alberta Human Rights Commission (previously Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission).
  • Sexual orientation is now written into the legislation as a protected ground (previously it was "read in").

You can read more about the amendments in these publications:

Interpretive bulletins
  • Duty to accommodate (February 2010)
        TEXT / PDF
  • Duty to accommodate students with disabilities in post-secondary educational institutions (August 2004, revised December 2006)  
        TEXT / PDF
  • Rights and responsibilities related to pregnancy, childbirth and adoption
    (June 2002) 
        TEXT / PDF
  • Human rights in the hospitality industry (March 2007) 
        TEXT / PDF
  • When is discrimination not a contravention of the law? (August 2009) 
        TEXT / PDF 
  • Obtaining and responding to medical information in the workplace
    (October 2009)
        TEXT / PDF

    These publications are available in text format and portable document format (PDF - Adobe Acrobat Reader). Please use the PDF version of a given document when printing a copy for personal or professional use when you want to retain formatting and graphics. Or order these and other publications online.

    Revised: May 13, 2010     

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    Please contact the Commission by telephone or regular mail
    if you have a specific complaint.

    The Commission will make publications available in accessible multiple formats upon request. Multiple formats provide access for people with disabilities who do not read conventional print.