This section covers hate-motivated and bias-motivated crime, hate incidents, hate-motivated assaults, and hate vandalism, as well as hate speech.
Navigating Hate-Motivated and Bias-Motivated Crime
Two aspects of hate-motivated/ bias motivated criminal charges:
- A criminal offence must have occurred (e.g., assault, damage to property, uttering threats, etc.).
- Hate or bias toward a victim must have been perceived to motivate and/or motivate the criminal offence (e.g., the suspect’s hate, bias, or prejudice motivated the crime based on the victim’s real or perceived ancestry, race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion/creed, sex, age, mental or physical ability, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other similar factor).
For more information visit The Ottawa Police Service’s Hate Motivated Incidents Webpage.
Note: If you are in immediate danger or are aware of an ongoing crime, please call 911.
To get help
- Ottawa Police Service Hate and Bias Crime Unit: 613-236-1222, ext. 5015
- Ottawa Victim Services: OVS provides support for people who are victims of crimes or tragedies.
- Offers emergency home safety expenses (e.g., window repair), crime scene clean-up (e.g., removal of hate-crime graffiti), short-term counselling services.
- 613-238-2762 (OVS) or 613-236-1222 ext. 2223 (OPS VSU)
For more information
- Online Reporting – Ottawa Police Service: Visit to begin an online report.
- Victim Support Unit: The Ottawa Police Service offers information and help to victims of crime.
- Ottawa Victim Services: OVS provides support for people who are victims of crimes or tragedies.
- Get help if you are experiencing violence
- Offers emergency home safety expenses (e.g., window repair), crime scene clean-up (e.g., removal of hate-crime graffiti), short-term counselling services.
- 613-238-2762 (OVS) or 613-236-1222 ext. 2223 (OPS VSU)
- Victim Support Line: This toll-free information line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the language of your choice. Services include information and referrals to services in your community and information about provincially sentenced offenders
- Call 613-238-2762
- Hope for Wellness Help Line: Call 1-855-242-3310
- For Indigenous people in Canada who are experiencing emotional distress, languages of service: Cree, Ojibway, Inuktitut.
- Connecting Ottawa: Provides effective communication and accessible justice for linguistic minorities who face communication barriers in Ottawa.
Hate vandalism and tagging
Hate vandalism and tagging is the etching, painting, or placing of a mark on public or private property that is motivated by hate, bias, or prejudice based on race, nationality, ethnicity, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical ability, sexual orientation or any other similar factor.
Vandalism can be considered a hate crime if it:
- Targets any identifiable community, group or organization;
- Is found in or near a religious institution or an affiliated community recreation area;
- Is found on commercial property that is affiliated with a community group; or
- Is found on personal property.
For more information visit The Ottawa Police Service’s Hate Motivated Incidents Webpage.
How to report vandalism
- Online Reporting – Ottawa Police Service: File an online report if you witness any hate-motivated vandalism and an officer will be assigned to investigate.
- 613-236-1222: Contact the Ottawa Police Service if your property has been vandalized or if you see hate-related vandalism.
- 3-1-1: Call the City of Ottawa if you find vandalism on public property
Online Hate Speech
Hate speech is defined by both the Canadian Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act. According to the Criminal Code, it is against the law to advocate genocide, to publicly encourage hatred, and to promote hatred against an “identifiable group”. While section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act forbids using telecommunications technologies like cell phones and the Internet to communicate messages that are likely to expose a person to hatred or contempt because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability or having a conviction that has been pardoned.
Online hate incidents often fail to meet the legal standard of criminal hate material; however, they should still be addressed.
How to report an incident:
- Collect specific information:
- Note the time and date
- How was the content delivered (e.g., SMS, text message, etc.)
- If the message was sent directly to you save the chat/text log and the username, phone number or email address of the person sending you hateful messages
- If encountered on a website collect the web address and screenshot the hateful content
- Report to:
- Flag content directly to social media sites
- Speak out and contact administrators
- Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Complaint Form
- Comfort victims and empower them to seek help if needed
- Contact law enforcement’s non-emergency line for resources and next steps
- OPS non-emergency line: 613-236-1222, extension 7300
- Report an incident of anti-Semitism via the B’nai Brith online anti-hate hotline
- Report an incident of anti-Muslim hate via the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ online reporting form
Explore Media Awareness Network’s Guide to Online Hate for more information.
