Christine Wadsworth

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for allowing students access to his Facebook page and personal computer containing inappropriate and pornographic images, and for allowing students to massage his back during class.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering an in-person reprimand, a three-month suspension, completion of a course on boundary violations, and publication of the decision with the Member's name.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against a secondary school teacher for poor evaluation and assessment practices, including failing to provide meaningful assessment opportunities, falsifying marks, and failing to give individualized feedback.

The Discipline Committee found the teacher guilty of professional misconduct, noting she failed to maintain the standards of the profession, breached the Education Act, and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee ordered an oral reprimand, a one-month suspension of her teaching certificate, mandatory coursework on professional ethics and student assessment, and publication of the decision.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought discipline proceedings against a retired member for engaging in inappropriate online communications with young students while teaching in Japan.

The member used Facebook and personal email to ask students personal questions, share details about his private life, and seek affirmation, violating school policies and professional boundaries.

The Discipline Committee qualified the member's former principal as a participant expert and accepted his evidence that the member failed to meet professional standards.

The Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct, including failing to maintain the standards of the profession, psychological or emotional abuse, and disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for inappropriate behaviour towards students, including making sexualized jokes, using pet names, inappropriate physical contact, and making insensitive comments.

The Member pleaded guilty to the allegations and admitted the facts.

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

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a three-month suspension of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, and the completion of a course on boundary violations and sensitivity issues.

The member, an occasional teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for impersonating his wife to complete her occasional teaching assignments on numerous occasions over a three-year period.

The member used his wife's gender-neutral name to deceive the school board and gain financially.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a nine-month suspension of his teaching certificate, and the completion of a professional ethics course.

The Committee also ordered the publication of the member's name in the College's official publication, finding that the aggravating factors of premeditated, fraudulent conduct for financial gain outweighed the mitigating factors.

The Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers held a penalty hearing for a retired member previously found guilty of professional misconduct.

The misconduct involved violating school policy by allowing unauthorized vehicles on school property, using the auto shop for personal repairs, removing a lathe without permission, allowing an unauthorized volunteer, and failing to comply with health and safety provisions.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, the completion of a safety course before returning to teaching, and publication of the decision with the member's name.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for failing to abide by a written undertaking to the College.

The Member had agreed to complete two pre-approved courses within 24 months but failed to do so, even after being granted a six-month extension.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a one-month suspension, and conditions requiring the completion of the courses before returning to teaching.

The Committee also ordered publication of the decision with the Member's name, emphasizing the need for specific and general deterrence.

The Member, a teacher, faced a discipline hearing regarding his conduct during a school field trip.

When four students failed to board the bus on time, the Member instructed the bus driver to drive away and turn around out of sight, causing the students to stand on the highway and forcing the bus to veer away.

The Member then verbally abused the students.

The Member pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct, including verbal and psychological abuse, failing to maintain professional standards, and disgraceful or unprofessional conduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, the completion of a course on classroom management and student supervision, and publication of the decision with the Member's name.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a motion seeking leave to withdraw allegations of professional misconduct against the respondent member.

The parties agreed to the withdrawal in exchange for the member's undertaking to resign immediately, never seek reinstatement, and never teach again in Ontario.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding that the withdrawal of the Notice of Hearing in exchange for the undertaking was reasonable and served to protect the public interest.

The respondent, a Vice-Principal, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after she accessed a colleague's email account without authorization and created a rule to forward emails containing disparaging remarks about her to a fake account she created in his name.

The Discipline Committee accepted a Joint Submission on Penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the respondent to complete a course on professional ethics.

The Committee declined to order publication of the respondent's name, finding that the misconduct was an isolated incident at the lower end of the spectrum, the respondent had retired, and she had taken full responsibility for her actions.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct following an incident in British Columbia where he engaged in a physical altercation with a sex worker, resulting in criminal charges that were stayed upon his entering a peace bond.

The Member had previously admitted to conduct unbecoming a teacher in British Columbia, leading to the cancellation of his teaching certificate there.

The Discipline Committee accepted the Agreed Statement of Facts and Guilty Plea, finding the Member guilty of professional misconduct.

The Committee accepted a Joint Submission on Penalty, ordering a reprimand, a three-month suspension of his Certificate of Qualification and Registration, and the completion of a professional ethics course.

The appellant appealed his convictions for impaired driving, assault with intent to resist arrest, and refusal to comply with a breath sample demand, and his sentence.

The appeal raised three grounds: alleged Charter violations concerning excessive police force (ss. 7 and 12) and the right to counsel (s. 10(b)), and an error in convicting for assault resisting arrest.

The court dismissed all grounds of appeal, upholding the trial judge's findings that the police use of force was reasonable in the circumstances, that the appellant failed to diligently assert his right to counsel, and that the elements of assault with intent to resist arrest were proven.

The court clarified the distinction between the burden of proof for Charter motions (balance of probabilities) and for criminal charges (beyond a reasonable doubt), and the limited application of the "Prosper warning" for the right to counsel.

The appellant physician appealed a decision of the Discipline Committee of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario finding him guilty of professional misconduct for sexually abusing an adolescent patient in 1979.

The appellant argued the Committee erred in assessing the credibility and reliability of the complainant's evidence, applied a more stringent standard to his evidence, and provided inadequate reasons regarding similar fact evidence.

The Divisional Court dismissed the appeal, finding the Committee's credibility assessments were reasonable, there was no unequal scrutiny of evidence, and the Committee clearly explained it did not rely on the similar fact evidence to reach its conclusions.

The member, a teacher, acted as a chaperone on a school trip.

During the trip, the member and the students purchased and consumed alcohol, and the students acted disruptively.

The member failed to adequately supervise the students.

The member pleaded no contest to allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct for failing to maintain the standards of the profession, failing to supervise adequately, and engaging in unprofessional conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a six-day retroactive suspension, and completion of a course on boundaries and supervision.

The Committee also ordered publication of the decision with the member's name, emphasizing the need for specific and general deterrence given the risk to student safety.

The Member, a teacher, faced allegations of professional misconduct for sending hundreds of inappropriate text messages to two students, including late at night and during class time.

Despite requests from parents to stop, the Member continued the communications.

The Member also met one of the students, provided him with alcohol, and watched him consume it and smoke marijuana before he left by boat.

The Member pled guilty to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a nine-month suspension of her teaching certificate, and the completion of a course on appropriate boundaries.

The Committee also ordered the publication of the Member's name in the College's official publication, emphasizing the need for specific and general deterrence.

The Member, a vice-principal, faced allegations of professional misconduct for making inappropriate and uncomfortable comments to several female colleagues over a three-week period.

The Member pled guilty to the allegations, admitting that his conduct violated the standards of the profession and constituted disgraceful, dishonourable, or unprofessional conduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and the completion of a course on boundaries.

The Committee also ordered publication of the decision with the Member's name, finding that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors and that publication was necessary for specific and general deterrence.

The appellant appealed a trial judgment ordering it to repay approximately $2.3 million in loans to the deceased's estate.

On appeal, the appellant argued for the first time that the action was statute-barred under s. 38(3) of the Trustee Act, and that the trial judge erred in finding the limitation period was restarted by its acknowledgment of the debt.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal, refusing to entertain the new Trustee Act argument and finding no palpable and overriding error in the trial judge's conclusion that the appellant's correspondence and partial payments restarted the limitation period.