Emily Ohler has been appointed chair of the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the independent tribunal responsible for accepting, screening, mediating and adjudicating human rights complaints. 

Ohler was appointed as a full-time member of the BC Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) on June 9, 2016. She holds a juris doctor from Osgoode Hall law school (2000) and a master's of international and comparative law from the National University of Singapore (2004).

Prior to joining the BCHRT, Ohler was a litigator in Vancouver before moving to Geneva, Switzerland, to join the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a subsidiary of the United Nations Security Council. She advised the UNCC on policy, legal, procedural and practical matters related to post-conflict claims and sustainable development projects.

On returning to Vancouver, Ohler incorporated Broadleap Solutions Ltd., an international advisory firm focused on implementing the UN Guidelines on Business and Human Rights and advising on equity and diversity policy. She has taught international and common law as a lecturer and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia.

Following a robust merit-based recruitment process, Ohler is being appointed to a three-year term beginning Aug. 1, 2021. She will replace Paul Singh, who agreed to a six-month term as the acting chair of the BCHRT while the recruitment process was underway. Singh will continue his appointment as a part-time member of the BCHRT while commencing duties as a part-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, to which he was recently appointed for a five-year term.

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For more information about the BC Human Rights Tribunal, visit: http://www.bchrt.bc.ca/