Thursday, January 26, 2006 9

Toronto -- A human-rights tribunal has ruled in favour of an Ottawa grandmother who says she was discriminated against for her belief in Falun Gong.

The ruling expands the Ontario Human Rights Commission's working definition of "creed" to include the spiritual movement banned in China.

Daiming Huang complained that she was harassed about her beliefs at the Ottawa Chinese Senior Association and ultimately ejected from the group. The ruling calls for the association to pay her $18,000 for loss of dignity and "mental anguish."

Commission spokesman Jeff Poirier said yesterday the ruling does not mean that Falun Gong has been recognized as a religion. To the OHRC, he explained, a creed is defined as a professed system of faith, including beliefs and observances or worship.