A Toothache Is Not a Disability

A part-time hotel employee got 2 days off to rest and recover from dental surgery but felt she needed a little extra time and asked the manager to reduce her work schedule. When the request was refused, she sued for disability discrimination. But the BC Human Rights tribunal tossed the case. Short-term medical issues that are temporary and treatable, like what the employee was going through, generally don’t count as disabilities under human rights laws, the tribunal reasoned [Lovely v. 888 Best Tourism Inc., 2021 BCHRT 60 (CanLII), April 30, 2021].