A single father in Canada is facing a lawsuit after asking a potential babysitter for the person’s age and gender.
The father of two boys ages 5 and 8 posted an ad for a babysitter on a popular Canadian ad site called Kijiji because he had made dinner plans with a friend for the following night, according to Fox News.
“Todd received several responses, among them one listing skills such as CPR, and first aid, and mentioning a clean criminal record and seven years of caring for children,” Fox News reports. “When Todd asked for age and gender, the applicant, James Crynowski, responded: ‘I'm male and 28 years old.’ Todd's dinner plans fell through, however, so he stopped corresponding with Crynowski and the other applicants because he no longer needed a babysitter. But Crynowski, instead of following up with Todd, filed a formal complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission on Sept. 1, claiming age and gender discrimination.”
Interestingly enough, the same man who filed the complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission lost a similar suit against a woman who was requesting "an older lady with experience” to watch her 5-year-old boy.
Todd’s legal representation, Canadian conservative legal advocacy organization The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, is requesting that the lawsuit be dismissed considering the legal precedent:
“The Justice Centre is representing Todd pro bono in this case, and has learned that Todd is one of many parents who, after they did not hire Mr. Cyrynowski as a babysitter, were subsequently subject to Human Rights Complaints,” The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms wrote in a statement. “One such Complaint has already been completely adjudicated all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada as a test case. In that case, Mr. Cyrynowski filed a complaint against the mother of a five-year-old boy, who placed a Kijiji ad stating her preference for ‘an older lady with experience :).’ A human rights investigator recommended that the mother be required to pay Mr. Cyrynowski $1000-$1500 for ‘damages to dignity.’ The Director and Chief Commissioner of the Alberta Human Right Commission dismissed Mr. Cyrynowski’s complaint against this mother.”
The statement goes on to state the following:
The Justice Centre has written a letter to the Alberta Human Rights Commission, calling on the Commission to dismiss the Complaint against Todd and respect the rights of children and parents protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
…
Parents’ personal decisions about who should babysit their children should not be subject to the dictates of the Alberta Human Rights Commission.
The Centre has pledged to represent Todd pro bono until the complaint against him is dismissed.