Student politics is a nasty business. Universities, for their part, need to respect the process and keep a distance while having the courage and wisdom to act when a student’s conduct goes to far. The case of Tefler v. The University of Western Ontario (CanLII) involves one student leader who was elected president of the graduate students’ society, […]
Tag: education law
Ontario court sides with U of Ottawa against MD accused of “unprofessional and disruptive behavior”
The recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in AlGhaithy v. University of Ottawa (CanLII) is an important one for universities to consider when setting up internal rules and procedures and addressing concerning behavior of students. Accordingly to the decision, Dr. AlGhaithy practiced in Saudi Arabia for several years before beginning a neurosurgery residency with the University […]
Coming up next, on all channels: students behaving badly
This month you really didn’t need to look far to find pictures of students somewhere in Canada appearing to break the rules. The question is: what have their universities done about it? The most obvious incident took place in London, Ontario, where students participated in an off-campus St. Patrick’s Day riot (CBC). Late that day, parties in a […]
Tips for students looking for advice on misconduct allegations
Increasingly, students are calling lawyers when their degrees are in jeopardy. On a fairly regular basis, students at every educational institution are accused of academic or non-academic misconduct. This includes cheating on exams, copy-and-pasting on essays without attribution, harassing another student, and so on. Often, the professor or other staff member who notices or hears of […]
Should the mandate of student societies exclude political activism?
Universities in Quebec are in the midst of massive student protests (Montreal Gazette) and heated political debates surrounding the provincial government’s creeping tuition increases, which started in fall 2022and will continue for several years. Some students at universities and CEGEPs held a one-day strike in November to protest the increase, but further opposition has grown steadily. Earlier this month, many student […]
UBC medical school admissions procedures come under fire
Pamela Fayerman at the Vancouver Sun has been reporting over the past two weeks about accusations that high-profile or influential parents have crossed the line in their efforts to get their kids a seat in the University of British Columbia (UBC) medical school program. The story began with a memo obtained by the Vancouver Sun that was written by Denis […]
Never get parenting advice from your lawyer
We rely on experts – doctors, accountants, electricians, plumbers, lawyers, etc. – a great deal for a variety of reasons, though not always for reasons we are ready to admit. We rely on them, obviously, because they know how to do something that we don’t, and the risk of us trying to do it anyways and […]
Does the Charter apply to universities? The plot thickens with recent decision
Many university administrators and student leaders have been watching with interest as the legal dispute between anti-abortion activists and Carleton University winds it way through the courts (see here and here for background). Specifically, the curiosity surrounds one issue: does the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms apply to universities? If the Charter does apply, then political activists, not to mention anyone […]
If your child destroys school property, your insurance policy may not cover it
A couple wanting having a child may bring up the pros and cons, the arguments for and against, the risks and the unknowables. What will it mean for their financial needs and goals to add the significant costs of parenthood while reducing the family income? What will it mean for their parents and grandparents to hold the […]
How educational institutions should respond to the riot
A week after the Stanley Cup game seven loss and the riot that followed, Vancouverites are thinking less about how our boys in blue were thumped by the Bruins and more about how our cityscape was bruised by the rioters. In terms of our pride as a city, the game pulled the rug out from […]