Accurate
Country-specific legal content
Drafted with legal expertise for each jurisdiction, far more thorough than AI-generated drafts that copy generic clauses across borders.
Career & EmploymentCanada
Workplace Harassment Investigation Request — Employee Side (Canada)
In Canada, an employer’s duty to investigate workplace harassment is triggered by the complaint — not by the employer agreeing that harassment happened. A verbal grumble is easy to manage away; a written request that names the legal duty cannot be. Our Canadian template writes that request: a dated incident chronology, the right legal-trigger language for your jurisdiction (the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Ontario, the Canada Labour Code regime federally), a demand for an impartial or qualified investigator, interim measures to keep you safe, and the escalation route if the employer does nothing. It is the letter that starts the investigation and the paper trail at the same time.
Free to useInstant PDFNo account required
PDF (free) + editable Word (.docx) with Expert
Workplace Harassment Investigation Request
Written Request Engaging The Duty To Investigate — Ontario · June 11, 2026
Hannah B. Iqbal
64 Frederick Street, Kitchener ON N2H 6M8
+1 (519) 555-0151
hannah.iqbal@email.ca
June 11, 2026
Diane Lefebvre
Director, Human Resources
Riverside Care Services Inc.
Riverside Care Services Inc.
REQUEST FOR A WORKPLACE HARASSMENT INVESTIGATION
Ontario (OHSA)
Dear Diane Lefebvre,
I am writing to formally request that Riverside Care Services Inc. investigate workplace harassment I have experienced, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario). This letter sets out what happened and what I ask the employer to do, and it is intended to start the process and the written record.
I am writing to formally request that Riverside Care Services Inc. investigate workplace harassment I have experienced, under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Ontario). This letter sets out what happened and what I ask the employer to do, and it is intended to start the process and the written record.
1.
THE COMPLAINT
Complainant: Hannah B. Iqbal
Employer: Riverside Care Services Inc.
Sent to: Diane Lefebvre, Director, Human Resources
Framework: Ontario (Occupational Health and Safety Act)
In summary: My team lead has, over the past two months, repeatedly made demeaning remarks about my appearance and competence in front of colleagues, sent messages after hours mocking my work, and excluded me from meetings I need to do my job. It has continued after I asked him to stop.
Employer: Riverside Care Services Inc.
Sent to: Diane Lefebvre, Director, Human Resources
Framework: Ontario (Occupational Health and Safety Act)
In summary: My team lead has, over the past two months, repeatedly made demeaning remarks about my appearance and competence in front of colleagues, sent messages after hours mocking my work, and excluded me from meetings I need to do my job. It has continued after I asked him to stop.
2.
WHAT I AM ASKING THE EMPLOYER TO DO
I ask the employer to investigate this matter and to take appropriate action. Specifically: A prompt, impartial investigation into the conduct; that I be informed of the results in writing; and interim steps so I am not required to report to or work alongside the person while it is investigated.
I am willing to take part in the process, to identify witnesses, and to provide the documents and detail set out below.
I am willing to take part in the process, to identify witnesses, and to provide the documents and detail set out below.
3.
THE INCIDENT CHRONOLOGY
The conduct is set out below in date order, with witnesses and the channel for each incident:
1. April 14, 2026 — Mocked my report in front of the team; said I was "out of my depth" — witness(es): Two colleagues present — where / how: Team meeting
2. May 2, 2026 — After-hours messages ridiculing my work — witness(es): Messages saved — where / how: Workplace chat
3. May 21, 2026 — Excluded me from the scheduling meeting I need to attend; told me not to come — witness(es): Calendar / email — where / how: Email
The pattern: The conduct is repeated and has continued after I asked it to stop on May 5; it is targeted at me and undermines my standing and my ability to do my job.
The effect on me and my work: I have been losing sleep, my work has been disrupted by exclusion from meetings, and I now dread shifts I share with him.
1. April 14, 2026 — Mocked my report in front of the team; said I was "out of my depth" — witness(es): Two colleagues present — where / how: Team meeting
2. May 2, 2026 — After-hours messages ridiculing my work — witness(es): Messages saved — where / how: Workplace chat
3. May 21, 2026 — Excluded me from the scheduling meeting I need to attend; told me not to come — witness(es): Calendar / email — where / how: Email
The pattern: The conduct is repeated and has continued after I asked it to stop on May 5; it is targeted at me and undermines my standing and my ability to do my job.
The effect on me and my work: I have been losing sleep, my work has been disrupted by exclusion from meetings, and I now dread shifts I share with him.
4.
THE DUTY TO INVESTIGATE
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employer must ensure that an investigation appropriate in the circumstances is conducted into incidents and complaints of workplace harassment, and must inform me in writing of the results and of any corrective action taken or to be taken. This letter is notice of an incident and a complaint of workplace harassment, and it engages that duty. The duty is triggered by the complaint itself — it does not depend on the employer agreeing that harassment occurred.
The person(s) involved: The person is my immediate team lead, who assigns my work and runs the meetings I have been excluded from.
I ask that the investigation be conducted by an impartial person who was not involved in the events and does not report to the alleged harasser.
I ask to be informed in writing of the results of the investigation and of any corrective action taken or to be taken, as the Act requires.
The person(s) involved: The person is my immediate team lead, who assigns my work and runs the meetings I have been excluded from.
I ask that the investigation be conducted by an impartial person who was not involved in the events and does not report to the alleged harasser.
I ask to be informed in writing of the results of the investigation and of any corrective action taken or to be taken, as the Act requires.
5.
INTERIM MEASURES, REPRISAL AND CONFIDENTIALITY
Interim measures I ask for while the investigation proceeds: That I report to a different supervisor during the investigation, and that my shifts be arranged so I am not required to work alone with him.
Reprisal: I note that retaliating against a worker for raising a health-and-safety or harassment concern is prohibited, and I ask that no adverse change be made to my duties, hours, assessment or employment because of this complaint.
Confidentiality: I ask that this complaint and the information in it be kept confidential and shared only with those who need it to conduct the investigation, consistent with a fair process for everyone involved.
Reprisal: I note that retaliating against a worker for raising a health-and-safety or harassment concern is prohibited, and I ask that no adverse change be made to my duties, hours, assessment or employment because of this complaint.
Confidentiality: I ask that this complaint and the information in it be kept confidential and shared only with those who need it to conduct the investigation, consistent with a fair process for everyone involved.
6.
RESPONSE, ESCALATION AND RELATED RIGHTS
If the employer does not investigate: I may raise the matter with the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, and an inspector may order an investigation by an impartial third party at the employer’s expense.
I ask for an acknowledgement and the next steps within 10 days. I would prefer to resolve this through a fair internal process, and I am ready to take part in one.
I ask for an acknowledgement and the next steps within 10 days. I would prefer to resolve this through a fair internal process, and I am ready to take part in one.
7.
NEXT STEPS
Please confirm receipt of this complaint and advise how and when the matter will be investigated. I am available to provide further detail and to take part in the process, and I ask that this request and any information in it be treated with appropriate confidentiality. All my rights are reserved.
YOURS SINCERELY,
Hannah B. Iqbal
Employee
Date: ____________________
EMPLOYEE
Hannah B. Iqbal
Date: ____________________
Available as a print-ready PDF or an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
What Is a Workplace Harassment Investigation Request?
It is the written instrument that engages the employer’s legal obligation to investigate. In Ontario, the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires an employer to ensure that an investigation appropriate in the circumstances is conducted into incidents and complaints of workplace harassment, and to inform the worker in writing of the results and any corrective action. The duty arises from the complaint itself — the employer does not get to decide there is nothing to investigate. In the federal sector, the Canada Labour Code and the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations run the matter through a designated recipient, a resolution process, and, if it is not resolved, a qualified investigator. The template writes the request that triggers whichever regime covers your workplace.
Harassment is a pattern, and the duty to investigate bites hardest when the complaint already reads like an investigation plan. A dated chronology — each incident with its date, the witnesses, and the channel it happened through (a meeting, a chat, an email) — does three things: it shows the conduct is repeated rather than a one-off, it tells the investigator exactly who to interview and what to pull, and it captures that the behaviour continued after you asked it to stop, which is often what tips conduct over the line. The template builds the chronology and records the pattern and its effect on you and your work.
The weeks during an investigation are when people get hurt, so the request asks for protection up front: interim measures — a different reporting line, a schedule that keeps you apart, remote work — that keep you safe without prejudging the outcome. It flags reprisal protection, because retaliating against a worker for raising a harassment concern is prohibited, and a written, dated complaint turns any later adverse step into the employer’s problem to explain. And it maps two further routes: the regulator if the employer does nothing — the Ministry of Labour in Ontario, where an inspector can order an impartial investigation at the employer’s expense, or the Labour Program federally — and the human-rights route where the harassment is tied to a protected ground, which runs alongside the investigation, not instead of it.
What's Covered in This Template
The request is structured the way an investigator and, if needed, a regulator later read it — complaint, chronology, the legal duty, interim measures and escalation — so the duty is engaged and the record is built from the first line.
Jurisdiction Switch
Ontario (Occupational Health and Safety Act) or the federal sector (Canada Labour Code and the harassment and violence regulations) — selected once, applied to the duty and the escalation route.
The Legal Trigger
In Ontario, the duty to ensure an investigation appropriate in the circumstances and to give the results in writing; federally, a notice of an occurrence that sets the resolution process running.
Dated Incident Chronology
Each incident with date, witnesses and channel — the timeline that proves a pattern and tells the investigator who to interview and what to pull.
Continued-After-Asked-to-Stop
The record that the conduct persisted after you objected — often what tips behaviour over the line into harassment.
Impartial / Qualified Investigator
A request for an investigator not involved in the events and not reporting to the alleged harasser (Ontario) or a qualified investigator (federal) — pre-empting the most common investigation defect.
Written Results Requested
In Ontario, the explicit request for the results and any corrective action in writing, as the Act requires; federally, to be kept informed through the resolution process.
Interim Measures
A change of reporting line, schedule or work location while the matter is investigated — reasonable steps to keep you safe without prejudging the outcome.
Reprisal Protection on Record
The note that retaliating for a harassment or health-and-safety complaint is prohibited — turning any later adverse step into the employer’s problem to explain.
Regulator Escalation
If the employer does nothing: the Ministry of Labour in Ontario (an inspector can order an impartial investigation at the employer’s expense) or the Labour Program federally.
Human-Rights Bridge
Where the harassment is tied to a protected ground, the discrimination route — the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario or the Canadian Human Rights Commission — flagged alongside the investigation request.
How to Create Your Investigation Request
Five steps from unwelcome conduct to a request that engages the legal duty.
- 1
Name the Parties
You, the employer, and who should receive it — HR in Ontario, or the designated recipient in a federal workplace.
- 2
Pick the Jurisdiction
Ontario or federally regulated — the template writes the law named and the duty the letter triggers.
- 3
Summarize and Ask
A short account of the conduct and what you want done — the investigation, the written results, and the interim steps you need.
- 4
Build the Chronology (Expert)
Each incident dated with witnesses and channel, the legal-trigger language, and the impartial or qualified investigator requested.
- 5
Add Protection and Send
Interim measures, the reprisal note, a response deadline and the escalation route — then a dated copy kept as the record.
Why Doxuno documents are different
Four things that make our templates more thorough than AI-generated drafts and more current than static template libraries.
Always current
Always current with the law
Templates carrying statute references are continuously updated as the law changes. Your document always reflects the current legal framework.
Free PDF
Print-ready PDF
Free to download. Vector text, embedded fonts, statute citations baked in. Print, sign, file. Ready for any signing flow including electronic signature.
Word · .docx
Editable Word (.docx)
Continue editing in Word after download. Add custom clauses, reuse the template for similar agreements, or share with a colleague for collaborative review.
Requires Expert one-time unlock or any paid Doxuno subscription.
Legal Considerations
In Canada the duty to investigate is triggered by the complaint — so a written request that names it is the move that matters.
This template provides general information for employees in Ontario and federally regulated workplaces and is not legal advice. If you are in immediate danger, contact your local authorities. If the harassment is serious, ongoing, or tied to a protected ground, or if a dismissal may follow, get advice from an employment or human rights lawyer — human-rights deadlines are typically one year. British Columbia and Alberta have their own occupational-health duties not detailed here.
Reviewed for Canadian occupational health and safety law
Ontario — the OHSA Duty to Investigate
Under section 32.0.7 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, an Ontario employer must ensure that an investigation appropriate in the circumstances is conducted into incidents and complaints of workplace harassment, and must inform the worker who experienced it — and the alleged harasser, if a worker — in writing of the results and of any corrective action. The duty is triggered by the complaint, not by the employer agreeing harassment occurred, and the employer must also have a harassment program under s.32.0.6. A written request makes the duty explicit and starts the record.
The Federal Regime — Designated Recipient and Qualified Investigator
Federally regulated workplaces — banks, telecommunications, airlines, interprovincial transport and federal Crown corporations — fall under the Canada Labour Code and the Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations. A notice of an occurrence goes to the employer or the designated recipient; the employer and the affected party must make every reasonable effort to resolve it, with conciliation available, and if it is not resolved it proceeds to a qualified investigator with relevant training and experience. The template writes the federal trigger and names the designated recipient as the recipient.
Who Investigates Matters
The most common flaw in workplace investigations is who runs them — someone involved in the events, or who reports to the alleged harasser, cannot be impartial. In Ontario, an investigation appropriate in the circumstances is read to require impartiality; federally, the regulations require a qualified investigator. Asking for this in the request, up front, makes a defective process harder to justify later. The template requests an impartial or qualified investigator depending on your jurisdiction.
Reprisal, Escalation and the Inspector
Retaliating against a worker for raising a harassment or health-and-safety concern is prohibited, and a written, dated complaint is what makes timing arguments work in your favour. If the employer does not meet its duty, you can escalate: in Ontario, the Ministry of Labour, where an inspector can order the employer to have an impartial third party investigate at the employer’s expense; federally, the Labour Program. Naming the route signals you know it exists — most matters are resolved internally before it is needed.
When Harassment Is Also Discrimination
If the harassment is because of a protected ground — sex, race, disability, creed and the like — it is not only a health-and-safety matter but may also be discrimination, a separate route that runs alongside the investigation request. In Ontario that route is an application to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario; federally it is the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The two address different wrongs and have different deadlines, so both are worth flagging — our HRTO application support builds the human-rights case, and our workplace accommodation request covers the accommodation side. The employer-side standard is set out in our workplace harassment and violence policy, and for a dismissal that follows, see our severance review demand letter and CLC unjust dismissal complaint.
Frequently Asked Questions
Put It in Writing — That Is What Triggers the Duty
Create your workplace harassment investigation request in minutes: the right Canadian legal trigger for Ontario or the federal sector, a dated incident chronology, an impartial or qualified investigator requested, interim measures and reprisal protection, and the escalation route mapped — in formal letter format. Download the PDF free, or unlock Expert for the chronology, the legal-trigger clause and the interim-measures and escalation clauses.
Free PDF · Editable Word with Expert · No account required