SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
2025 SDG report
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Through responsible, transparent governance and active policy engagement, TMU is helping advance strong institutions and inclusive decision-making on campus and beyond. From working with government partners to contributing to policy work, to ensuring accountability and transparency through our own internal governance structures, we are committed to building trust and supporting a just and peaceful society.
TMU’s Senate and Board of Governors include over 70 elected faculty, student, staff and alumni representatives plus appointed members.
TMU’s student unions represent more than 50,000 undergraduate, graduate and part-time students.
Our goals in action
TMU’s academic programs are designed to prepare the next generation of lawyers, policy leaders, public administrators and changemakers. With options spanning undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, students gain the knowledge and practical skills to help strengthen institutions, defend legal rights and serve communities.
- The Lincoln Alexander School of Law was designed as a different kind of law school to create a different kind of lawyer – one who is innovative, nimble, and well-equipped to meet the evolving technological and social challenges taking place in society and the marketplace. The school offers a Juris Doctor program and professional development opportunities.
- TMU’s Department of Politics & Public Administration offers programs at various credential levels. At the undergraduate level this includes a Bachelor of Arts (BA) (Honours) in Politics and Governance program and a BA (Honours) in Public Administration and Governance program, and at the graduate level, a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Administration. Various continuing education certificate programs are also available to adult learners.
- Many of these public administration programs are also offered to First Nations students through a groundbreaking partnership between First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) and TMU. Since 1999, courses have been delivered in First Nations communities across Ontario, at the FNTI campus in Tyendinaga, and at TMU.
- TMU’s Chang School of Continuing Education offers a certificate program in Public Administration and Leadership, equipping students with foundational knowledge of government operations and policy-making, with flexible learning options to fit diverse schedules.
- In June 2025, the Faculty of Community Services brought together leaders in social work, child protection, children’s mental health, education and more to build organizational capacity to identify, effectively respond to, and prevent child sex trafficking and online child sexual exploitation. The leaders are the key decision-makers for how policy and practice unfolds in their organizations. Through the Executive Program in Combating Child Sex Trafficking & Online Child Sexual Exploitation, participants learned how their organizations can better respond to risks, harms and complex needs of victims and survivors.
Across disciplines, TMU researchers collaborate with government and industry to advance evidence-informed policy, ethical innovation and inclusive community outcomes in a variety of areas, from transportation operations to legal justice.
- The Lincoln Alexander School of Law hosts major research initiatives, including: the Justice & Technology Initiative, which is focused on the opportunities and challenges associated with the mounting ubiquity and significance of technology and data in our society, economy and environment; and the International Law & Global Justice Initiative, which is committed to bridging theory and practice through justice-oriented scholarship and public engagement.
- Launched in 2025, Transit Innovation Yard (TIY) is a landmark collaboration between TMU and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to develop cutting-edge solutions for initiatives such as route optimization, better real-time service updates, and improved journey planning tools, to help create a better transit service for the City of Toronto. The initiative will leverage TMU researchers, start-ups, and more to help address pressing transit challenges.
Good governance at TMU is rooted in transparency, accountability and participation, supported by clear internal administrative policies and an inclusive, consultative budgeting and financial reporting process.
- TMU has a bi-cameral governance structure which means that there are two governing bodies working at the university, the Senate and the Board of Governors. These two bodies are closely intertwined through the budget process, but remain quite separate from each other in terms of decision-making.
The elected Senate governs all academic matters. The Board of Governors is responsible for the governance of the university; control of its property and revenues; the conduct of its business and affairs, except for matters assigned by the Act to Senate; powers specifically enumerated by the Toronto Metropolitan University Act and the By-Laws of the University.
The Senate consists of 62 elected representatives of the university's faculty, students and alumni, and seven non-voting senate associates. The Board of Governors has 28 members, including the President, the Chancellor, external members, and 11 elected representatives of students, faculty, staff and alumni, and honorary members.
- The university’s governance structure includes administrative policies, procedures, guidelines and standards. These are posed on the Policy Register and administered by the Office of the General Counsel and Secretary of the Board of Governors.
- In 2024-25, TMU community members were engaged and given the opportunity to provide feedback on the development of the university’s 2025-30 Academic Plan and on updates to the Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy. Open engagement and consultation is an important part of governance at TMU.
- The annual university budget is the financial plan for how the university will receive and spend funds in a fiscal year (May 1 to April 30). The university’s open and consultative budget process gives students, faculty and staff the opportunity to engage with senior administration on our budget plans in a public forum. The university’s annual financial reports and budgets are posted on TMU’s website.
Student unions and associations at TMU play a vital role in representing and advocating for students, fostering leadership and enhancing the university experience.
- The Toronto Metropolitan Students' Union (TMSU) (external link) represents undergraduate students and serves as the central student union on campus. TMSU advocates for students' interests, organizes campaigns and initiatives, provides cost-saving services, and works on enhancing campus life. The union also collaborates with other student organizations locally, provincially and nationally to promote a more affordable and accessible post-secondary education system.
- Students can participate in the annual TMSU elections by running for various leadership positions. This structure ensures that the TMSU remains responsive to student needs while empowering students to have a direct role in governance and decision-making.
- The Toronto Metropolitan Graduate Students' Union (TMGSU) (external link) represents full-time and part-time graduate students at TMU. As a membership-driven union, TMGSU supports graduate students throughout their academic journey. The union is governed by a Graduate Executive Committee, made up of four elected Executive Members, and a Graduate Council, consisting of seven elected Graduate Directors. TMGSU offers services such as health and dental coverage, funding for course unions and organizes events aimed at building a strong graduate community on campus. The union also advocates for graduate students’ interests and works to improve the overall student experience.
- The Toronto Metropolitan Association of Part-time Students (TMAPS) (external link) represents part-time students at TMU, including those in continuing education, distance education and part-time degree programs, as well as students enrolled in Chang School courses. As a membership-driven association, TMAPS supports part-time students by advocating for their unique needs and enhancing their academic and campus experiences. The union is governed by an Executive Committee, made up of four elected Executive Members, and a Board, consisting of additional elected Directors. TMAPS organizes events, provides resources and offers services that contribute to building a strong and inclusive community for part-time students at the university.
TMU extends its commitment to justice and strong institutions into the community, offering expertise to support good governance and influencing policy to advance the SDGs.
- Lincoln Alexander School of Law Professor Ed Bechard-Torres served on the Government of Canada’s Human Rights Experts Panel of the Court Challenges Program (external link) . With the help of counsel, the panel decides which test-case human rights cases challenging federal laws, policies and practices receive funding.
- Civil Engineering professor Khaled Sennah’s pioneering research on concrete traffic barriers and decks reinforced with non-corrosive glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars addressed one of Canada’s persistent bridge infrastructure challenges: corrosion of reinforcing steel by de-icing salts. By leading the first worldwide crash tests of GFRP-reinforced concrete barriers, he demonstrated that corrosion-resistant materials could reduce long-term maintenance costs while maintaining safety performance.
- These findings were adopted by transportation authorities, including in Ontario and Quebec, and incorporated into Canadian bridge design specifications, changing engineering practice beyond academia. His collaborations with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation have produced design solutions now used in bridge projects across the province..
- The Centre for Urban Energy has worked with public utilities on clean energy and energy storage solutions. This includes (PDF file) advising Toronto Hydro on the modernization of its electricity grid for distribution of clean electricity and supporting resilient grid infrastructure through collaboration with Toronto Hydro and Power Advisory LLC to (PDF file) improve coordination between the provincial transmission/bulk system and Toronto Hydro’s local operations.
- Police officers across Ontario will be required to take innovative immersive scenario-based simulation training created to improve response to mental health crisis situations by The Creative School Dean and School of Performance professor Natalie Alvarez and her collaborators. The Mental Health Crisis Response Applied Training and Education Program developed at TMU is now a regulatory requirement for all front-line officers as part of recent revisions to Ontario’s Community Safety and Policing Act.
- In January 2025, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario announced a $3.5 million investment at DMZ to establish the Centre for Housing Innovation (CHI), a pioneering hub aimed at transforming Canada’s housing sector. In partnership with GroundBreak Ventures, CivicAction and NGen, CHI will serve as a central hub uniting innovators, developers, contractors and municipalities to drive the development and commercialization of housing technology. The centre aims to scale sustainable, affordable and high-quality housing solutions and upskill industry professionals, including contractors, manufacturers and developers, with training in key manufacturing areas.