January 11, 2001 - Jehovah's Witness - a podcast by Stephen Hammond

B.C. Human Rights Tribunal rules that a Jehovah’s Witness not required to display Christmas décor at work. Ray Jones worked for a Victoria, B.C.’s Shoppers Drug Mart store for 16 years. As a Jehovah’s Witness, he was never expected to display Christmas decorations, since his religion forbade the celebration and promotion of this Christian event. So in November 1998, when his supervisor asked him to put out six poinsettias, Jones refused. The supervisor’s reaction to his refusal led Jones to quit his job. He ended up at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, which on January 11, 2001 ruled in his favour, confirming that his employer should have accommodated his religious beliefs. The tribunal ruled that the task of putting out the poinsettias took only 10 seconds, and the refusal of Jones to do so did not constitute “undue hardship” for the store. When Jones was awarded more than $30,000, it garnered headlines across Canada. However, the court awarded more than $27,000 of that amount for lost wages, as is the norm for long-term employees who are wrongfully, or in this case, constructively dismissed.

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