President addresses community safety, campus incidents

In recent weeks, our community has experienced deeply troubling events and I want to speak directly to you about what happened on September 19 and November 5, what our university stands for and how we are moving forward.

We take all the allegations and concerns that have been raised seriously. TMU condemns all acts of aggression, intimidation, harassment or violence. Such behaviour has no place in our community and is contrary to the values of respect, safety and inclusion that guide us. 

Our role and our values

TMU exists to serve a clear purpose: To serve societal needs and to prepare students for careers. Our commitment is to help build a bright, just and caring future — one where graduates can feel confident that they are entering an inclusive, respectful and open Canadian society that welcomes differing viewpoints, cultures and perspectives.

Academic freedom and freedom of expression are essential in a university. At TMU, we believe those freedoms must always operate within a culture of mutual respect and safety. 

Disagreement and debate are always welcome; violence, intimidation and hate are not. All community members deserve to feel safe and respected, regardless of their identity. When people’s safety, inclusion or dignity are compromised, the university will and must act.

It is worth reminding ourselves of something that is as true as it is wonderful: Canada is home to people who have come from every part of the world, and this diversity exists alongside the enduring presence and stewardship of Indigenous Peoples, who have lived on and cared for these lands since time immemorial. 

We do not leave our cultures behind — we celebrate them, and we bring our histories and connections with us. Those global ties matter. So it is natural and right for students to care deeply about events abroad, including the ongoing conflict in Palestine and Israel. 

At the same time, our approach on campus must be a Canadian one, grounded in peaceful dialogue, respect, openness and lawful and orderly behaviour. 

We know that hard issues will continue to surface at TMU. That is one of the reasons the university launched the Community Building Working Group, to acknowledge and to respond to the impact of numerous global and geopolitical crises on our community. 

What matters most, however, is how we engage with one another here. We cannot adjudicate or solve foreign policy or global conflicts – this is not the role of a university nor are universities equipped to do so. 

Our responsibility is to encourage debate and discourse, while upholding a safe, respectful and lawful environment for all, and to create a space to support difficult conversations that are in keeping with TMU’s mission and values.

The November 5 event and our responsibilities

The incident that has been the focus of recent concern took place off campus at an event that was not sanctioned by TMU. Even so, it involved members of our community, and other local universities, and it has had a direct impact on students, faculty and staff. For that reason, we are taking it very seriously.

TMU has a robust screening process for on-campus events. Any event involving outside speakers, controversial topics or security considerations must be submitted well in advance so that we can plan appropriately and help ensure the safety of organizers and attendees. 

We are reviewing these procedures in light of recent events, including how off-campus incidents relate to university policies and clarifying expectations of student conduct.

TMU has made good-faith attempts to reach out to the students who were affected on November 5. However, as this was not a TMU sanctioned event, we had no access to the names of students in attendance and relied upon outreach to third-party organizations to share our concerns. 

We want to reiterate that any students can contact the Centre for Student Development and Counselling for support and/or Community Safety and Security with any safety concerns they may have. 

Independent review by the Honourable Mary Lou Benotto

Earlier this month, TMU engaged former Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Mary Lou Benotto to conduct an independent review related to a September 19 event featuring a federal minister that was disrupted, and where concerns were raised about the conduct of security guards and of student protesters.

We have now expanded Justice Benotto’s mandate to include the November 5 incident and to review more broadly how TMU manages protests, events and demonstrations, including how we balance freedom of expression, campus safety and the orderly functioning of the university.

Justice Benotto’s review will:

• Establish factual findings about the September 19 and November 5 events
• Examine TMU’s practices for planning and managing events and protests, on- and off-campus
• Consider how we uphold both safety and freedom of expression
• Recommend best practices and any changes that may be needed to our policies and procedures.

The review will also consider issues related to conduct, including the actions of security personnel, students and others in the context of the incidents within her scope. 

This work will take time in order to be fair and thorough. We will not set an artificial deadline, but we will support Justice Benotto so that she can complete her review as quickly as is reasonable to provide clear recommendations to the university.

Once the review is complete, TMU will share the findings publicly and will outline how the university will act on her recommendations, including timelines where appropriate.

How you can participate in the review

In a previous review at TMU, an external email address was set up so that students and community members could share information directly with the independent reviewer, outside university channels. We recognize that having a safe, confidential and trusted way to speak with Justice Benotto is important. 

We are working with Justice Benotto to finalize how consultation will take place in this review — including how students, faculty, staff and other stakeholders can share their experiences and perspectives. We will share those details with the entire community shortly, including how to contact the reviewer directly. 

Our goal is to be transparent and open while also managing the process responsibly so it leads to constructive and actionable outcomes.

Police investigation and university processes

The November 5 incident is being investigated by the Toronto Police Service, and TMU is cooperating fully. 

As that investigation proceeds, we are also reviewing the incident under our own policies, including the Non-Academic Code of Student Conduct and our Discrimination and Harassment policy. A formal complaint has now been filed, and that process will move forward.

We understand that many people want immediate answers and visible consequences. At the same time, fairness, privacy and procedural integrity matter. For that reason:

• We cannot comment on specific individuals or potential outcomes.
• We will use all applicable university policies where the facts support that step.
• We will ensure that any decisions we reach are grounded in evidence and consistent with our obligations in law and under our own policies.

Police, the independent review and our internal processes each have a distinct role. Together, they will help us understand what happened, what should happen next and how we can strengthen our systems for the future.

It is important to note that student groups are reviewed and overseen by the Toronto Metropolitan Students’ Union (TMSU), which is a separate corporation from the university. TMU has expressed serious concerns to the TMSU and urged them to review the actions of groups under their authority. 

We understand that the TMSU has publicly indicated that they are exploring the option of engaging an independent third-party investigator to review whether any TMSU-recognized student groups breached TMSU policy. We welcome and will support those efforts. 

TMU’s ongoing anti-racism and anti-oppression work 

Racism and all forms of hate run directly counter to TMU's values. Since October 2023, TMU has taken a number of steps to address Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian sentiment, and to better support our entire community including, but not limited to:

• Antisemitism training for university leadership in partnership with Friends of Simon Wiesenthal, Project Shema and No Silence on Race
• Islamophobia training for staff, faculty and university leadership by the National Council of Canadian Muslims
• Community-wide educational programming, seminars, and panels - including a leadership session with Bernardi LLP - addressing antisemitism and Islamophobia
• A revised and updated Discrimination and Harassment Policy
• Improved event-booking review procedures and guidance for demonstrations on our campus
• Regular meetings with Jewish students, faculty and staff, and ongoing engagement with Jewish community stakeholders
• Discussions and meetings with faculty and students who have articulated concerns regarding anti-Palestinian sentiment and matters impacting Palestinian communities
• Increased counselling hours and sessions focussed on healing

This work will continue and we will keep listening to all those who feel vulnerable or unseen. 

Looking ahead

These issues are painful, and they will not be resolved quickly. Many members of our community may feel afraid or angry. We acknowledge that, and we also share the hope for an end to the violence and the suffering in Gaza.

At TMU, our role is clear. We will:

• Uphold our mission as an academic institution
• Protect community well-being and campus safety
• Support difficult conversations grounded in respect, evidence and a willingness to listen
• Hold our community to clear standards of conduct and apply consequences where behaviour crosses those lines.

These issues will continue to arise. TMU will meet them with consistency, clarity and principle. 

Let us be clear here: we will not satisfy anyone who wants the university to fully take their side. Ours is a position rooted in principle: our responsibility is to serve the whole community, and to remind ourselves — unapologetically — that we are a diverse community, and our role as a university is to have important, often deeply uncomfortable, complex discussions – but safely, and with respect for one another. 

Thank you for everything you are doing to support each other during this time. We will keep you informed as the independent review progresses and as our internal processes move forward.