Manitoba Human Rights Commission

Manitoba Human Rights Commission

Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Manitoba
Headquarters	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Employees	21.0 FTE (2009-2010) [1]
Annual budget	CAD$2 million (2009-2010) [1]
Minister responsible	Matt Wiebe, Minister of Justice and Attorney General [2]
Agency executives	John Burchill, Acting Chairperson Karen Sharma, Executive Director
Website	www.manitobahumanrights.ca

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission (MHRC) is a quasi-judicial arms-length agency of the Government of Manitoba that is responsible for enforcing The Human Rights Code (Manitoba). ^[3]

The acting chairperson of the Board of Commissioners is John Burchill, who is chief of staff for the Winnipeg Police Service. ^[4]

Board of Commissioners

As of December 2021 ^[update] , the Board of Commissioners includes: ^[4]

• John Burchill (acting chairperson) — chief of staff for the Winnipeg Police Service.
• Loretta Ross — a lawyer and the Treaty Relations Commissioner of Manitoba.
• Jeannette Acheson — a parole officer for the Correctional Service of Canada, the Vice Chair of the Manitoba Police Commission, and a trustee for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
• Michael Reader — the Director of Capital Management for the Northern Regional Health Authority.
• Ian Grant — former Chief of Police with the City of Brandon-Brandon Police Service, a special advisor for Public Safety programs at Assiniboine Community College.
• Tracy Leipsic — a speed skating coach with the River Heights Speed Skating Club, and the Vice President (Finance) of the Manitoba Speed Skating Association.
• Darcy Strutinsky — a member of the Manitoba Labour Board and the Labour Management Review Committee, and with the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

Backlog

A 2020 report from the Manitoba Ombudsman revealed that wait times for assignment to an investigator had increased from 4 months in 2012 to 23 months in 2017. ^[5] As of March 2025, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission reports the wait time is currently 22 months. ^[6]

References

1. Annual Report of Manitoba Justice and the Justice Initiatives Fund (2009-2010) (PDF). Winnipeg: Manitoba Justice. 2010. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
2. Annual Report of Manitoba Justice and the Justice Initiatives Fund (2009-2010) (PDF). Winnipeg: Manitoba Justice. 2010. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
3. "Province of Manitoba | v1 - Our Mandate". www.manitobahumanrights.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
4. "Province of Manitoba | v1 - Board of Commissioners". www.manitobahumanrights.ca. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
5. "Ombudsman Act Investigation Report Communication and Expectation: Fairness, Service Delivery and the Manitoba Human Rights Commission" (PDF). Manitoba Ombudsman. June 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2025.
6. "Improving Wait Times in the Human Rights Complaint System". Manitoba Human Rights Commission. March 2025. Retrieved May 26, 2025.