The value of a racist insult? More than a year's pay, in Ontario

Here are some numbers for Canadian readers to think about.

$21,320 - A year's pay, before taxes, for a 40-hour week, at the Ontario minimum wage.

$23,500 - Amount awarded by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal to a migrant worker who was fired and sent home for complaining about being called a monkey.

Adrian Monrose is a citizen of St. Lucia, a tiny dot in the Caribbean. Like many other islanders, he has been coming to Canada for some years to work on the tomato farms in the very southwestern corner of Ontario. He and his mates do the jobs that Canadians won't do.

Mr. Monrose is -- need we say it? -- black. Or dark brown at least. Which may have something to do with why, in May of 2009, his employer, Benji Mastronardi, shouted at Monrose and his fellow workers, "You're like monkeys on a branch."

The defendants said they fired Monrose for constantly complaining about not being paid his full wage, and for being prone to violence. In a decision released last week -- the wheels of "justice" grind mighty slow in Ontario -- the human rights adjudicator said "his termination was more likely in response to his having raised concerns about being referred to as a monkey."

Result? A rather large payout for injured feelings. In addition to the monetary damages, the farm corporation is required "to hire an expert to develop a comprehensive human rights and anti-discrimination policy within 120 days. It must also ensure all of its supervisory staff complete an online human rights course."

Perhaps they would do better, next year, to import a ship-load of actual monkeys.