Ruling spells out what employers must do before pulling the trigger
In a decision issued April 9, 2026, British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal Member Jonathan Chapnick ruled that Colliers Project Leaders Inc. discriminated against an assistant project manager when it terminated his employment roughly seven weeks into the job, before completing the accommodation inquiry it had already started. The Tribunal ordered the company to pay $24,615.20 in lost wages and $15,000 for injury to dignity, plus interest.
Ali (Alex) Shaikh started at Colliers on January 6, 2020, seconded to the company's biggest client on a building improvement program. Within weeks, the client raised concerns about his "fit," focus, and engagement during training, project onboarding, and meetings. Colliers principal Brendan Wilson met with Shaikh on January 22 to relay the feedback.
The next day, Shaikh disclosed an anxiety diagnosis and other medical conditions affecting his interactions with colleagues. Senior HR manager Erma Hadzic met with him on January 27 to assess accommodation needs. Shaikh requested a stand-up desk for back pain but made no specific request related to anxiety, testifying he had not yet seen his doctor.
He later told the Tribunal that accommodation "cannot be just seen as something that simply I demand and then I will be granted," describing it as a "two-way — or even a three-way — conversation actually, between me, Colliers, and my medical practitioners." A Functional Abilities...
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