Godwin Ifedi

The member sought to adjourn his discipline hearing, initially objecting to the electronic format and later citing medical unfitness.

The Discipline Committee denied the initial adjournment request on November 5, 2020, finding insufficient evidence of prejudice from the electronic format.

However, on February 10, 2021, the Committee granted an indefinite adjournment based on new medical evidence indicating the member was unfit to participate.

Given the indefinite delay, the Committee imposed an interim condition prohibiting the member from teaching until the proceedings resume to protect the public interest.

The Ontario College of Teachers commenced a discipline proceeding against the member.

The member did not attend the electronic hearing but submitted a written request to adjourn the proceedings until an in-person hearing could be held.

The Discipline Committee denied the member's motion and proceeded electronically.

Due to time constraints, the College requested an adjournment to complete its case, which was granted.

The College also brought a motion to impose interim terms and conditions prohibiting the member from teaching until the hearing concluded.

After reviewing written submissions from both parties, the Committee denied the College's motion for interim terms.

A written decision with reasons was to follow.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for using inappropriate language, swearing, yelling at students, and disciplining students by making them do push-ups.

The Member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including verbal and psychological abuse, failing to maintain professional standards, and disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand and imposed conditions on the Member's certificate requiring the completion of a course on respectful relationships and classroom management.

The Member, a teacher, faced a discipline hearing for repeatedly mismanaging and stealing funds collected from students for school activities, and for stealing money from a colleague's mailbox.

The Member ignored directives from the school principal to stop handling money.

The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct, including failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a one-month suspension of the Member's teaching certificate, and the successful completion of an ethics course.

The Member, an occasional teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for making inappropriate and insensitive comments to students regarding their sexual orientation, ethnicities, and relationship status.

The Discipline Committee accepted the Agreed Statement of Facts and found the Member guilty of failing to maintain professional standards, verbal and psychological abuse, and disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the Member to complete coursework on professional boundaries and cultural sensitivity.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after submitting 48 false health and drug benefit claims totalling over $42,000 to her employer's benefits provider.

She had previously pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of using a forged document and repaid the defrauded amount.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty, finding the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a 12-month suspension of her teaching certificate, and a condition requiring the completion of an ethics course before returning to teaching.

The Member, a high school teacher, pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct, including physically abusing two students by grabbing, pulling, and pushing them, and failing to supervise them, which resulted in an altercation and injury to a third student.

The Discipline Committee accepted the uncontested facts and found the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a four-month suspension of the Member's certificate, and the completion of coursework on professional boundaries, classroom management, and anger management.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct relating to incidents during the 1990-1991 academic year.

The member pleaded no contest to allegations of inappropriately disciplining students, making demeaning comments, and encouraging inappropriate classroom games and rivalries.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including physical, verbal, and psychological abuse.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a three-month suspension of the member's certificate, and the completion of coursework on professional boundaries and classroom management.

The applicant, a former teacher whose certificate was revoked in 2001 for professional misconduct involving an inappropriate relationship with a student, applied for reinstatement.

The Discipline Committee considered the applicant's rehabilitation efforts, including his successful 17-year career in post-secondary education, his remorse, and his stable personal life.

Applying the Manoukian factors, the Committee found that the applicant had demonstrated, on a balance of probabilities, that he was of good character and that reinstatement was in the public interest.

The application was granted, subject to the condition that the applicant complete a course on professional standards and ethics.

The applicant applied for the reinstatement of his Certificate of Qualification and Registration, which was revoked in 2001 due to professional misconduct involving boundary violations with a student.

The Discipline Committee applied the Manoukian factors and found that the applicant had demonstrated successful rehabilitation, good character, and a low likelihood of repeating the misconduct over the 18 years since the revocation.

The application was granted, subject to the condition that the applicant complete a course on ethical and professional standards.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct related to his off-duty conduct on social media.

The member retweeted numerous offensive posts concerning Muslims, immigrants, refugees, and transgender individuals on his personal Twitter account.

Following a parent complaint, the member's school board suspended him for two days without pay and transferred him to another school.

Before the Discipline Committee, the member pled guilty to committing acts that would reasonably be regarded as disgraceful, dishonourable, unprofessional, and unbecoming a member.

The Committee accepted the guilty plea and ordered a penalty consisting of a reprimand, a requirement to complete coursework on appropriate communications and sensitivity training, and a 10-day suspension of his Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member who submitted over $120,000 in fraudulent benefit claims to her employer's insurance provider.

The member pled guilty to criminal charges of fraud over $5,000 and uttering a forged document.

Before the Discipline Committee, the member admitted to the allegations of professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a 12-month suspension of her certificate of qualification and registration, and the successful completion of an ethics course prior to returning to teaching.

The Member, a teacher, was found guilty of professional misconduct for engaging in a sexual relationship with a former student.

The Member had previously been convicted of sexual exploitation under the Criminal Code and sentenced to 30 months' incarceration.

Proceeding on an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Penalty, the Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student.

Pursuant to the mandatory revocation provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, the Committee ordered that the Member be reprimanded and that his certificate of qualification and registration be immediately revoked.

The member in a discipline proceeding brought two pre-hearing motions: one for further disclosure and one to dismiss the allegations.

The member argued that the school board failed to report his restriction of duties within the 30-day period required by section 43.2 of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, thereby invalidating the Registrar's complaint.

The Discipline Committee dismissed both motions.

The Committee found that the disclosure issues had been resolved and that section 43.2 does not limit the Registrar's jurisdiction to initiate a complaint.

Furthermore, the Committee found that the board had reported the restriction within 30 days of determining it was for reasons of professional misconduct, and that the member's substantive arguments should be determined on a full evidentiary record at the hearing on the merits.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a member for professional misconduct.

The member was alleged to have sent obscene and threatening Facebook messages to a Grade 8 student and her mother, permitted students to consume alcohol at his home late at night, and posted an altered photo on Facebook suggesting his ex-girlfriend was associated with ISIS.

The member did not attend the hearing.

The Discipline Committee found the allegations proven on a balance of probabilities and concluded the member engaged in professional misconduct, including verbal and emotional abuse of a student, failing to maintain professional standards, and disgraceful conduct.

The Committee revoked the member's teaching certificate, citing the severity of the abuse, his lack of professional judgment, and his ungovernability.

The member was also ordered to pay $10,000 in costs.

The member, an occasional teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct after posting a photograph of a student's head on social media alongside an image of a fictional gangster character with the caption 'Who rocked it better??

LOLOLOL'.

The school board characterized the post as offensive and racist.

The member resigned, admitted to the facts, and pled guilty to professional misconduct, including failing to maintain the standards of the profession and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the member to complete coursework on professional boundaries, student privacy, and cultural sensitivity.

The Member, a teacher, pled guilty to professional misconduct after being criminally convicted of voyeurism and making child pornography.

Between 2011 and 2015, the Member surreptitiously video-recorded female staff members and students in a school change room and washroom.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student and engaging in a prohibited act involving child pornography.

Pursuant to the mandatory revocation provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, the Committee ordered a written reprimand and the immediate revocation of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for harassing a former romantic partner who was also a colleague, and for making inappropriate and suggestive comments to several other female colleagues.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the Member guilty of failing to maintain the standards of the profession, engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a member.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a four-month suspension of the Member's certificate, and the successful completion of a course on boundary violations and appropriate workplace communications.

The member brought a motion to dismiss or stay the professional discipline proceedings against him prior to the hearing on the merits, arguing the prosecution was vexatious and predatory.

The Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers found it lacked jurisdiction to dismiss the proceeding under s. 4.6(1) of the Statutory Powers Procedure Act because it had not enacted the requisite rules under s. 4.6(6).

Considering its residual authority to prevent an abuse of process under s. 23, the Committee concluded the member failed to present evidence that continuing the hearing would amount to an abuse of process.

The motion was dismissed and the hearing on the merits was ordered to proceed.

The Member brought a motion in advance of a discipline hearing but failed to appear on the scheduled date.

He submitted correspondence requesting an adjournment to seek the assistance of counsel and provided a medical note indicating health reasons precluded his attendance.

The College took no position on the request.

The Discipline Committee granted the adjournment, finding the request reasonable given the Member's need for counsel, his documented health issues, and the lack of opposition from the College.

The motion was adjourned to the next available date.