Erica Richler

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a retired member for professional misconduct involving inappropriate physical contact and boundary violations with female students.

The member had a history of similar misconduct and prior discipline.

The member pleaded no contest to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct and accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a two-month suspension of his certificate, and mandatory coursework on boundary violations should he return to teaching.

The Member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct before the Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers.

The misconduct stemmed from a criminal conviction for domestic assault and a history of abusive classroom conduct while teaching in Alberta, which included yelling at students, kicking furniture, and throwing objects.

The Member had previously been disciplined by the Alberta Teachers' Association.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a written reprimand, a two-year suspension of the Member's certificate of qualification and registration, and the successful completion of coursework on classroom management and anger management prior to returning to teaching.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought disciplinary proceedings against the respondent member for professional misconduct, including the sexual abuse of a student.

The parties presented a Statement of Uncontested Facts and Plea of No Contest, admitting that the respondent engaged in an inappropriate personal and sexual relationship with a student.

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

Pursuant to the mandatory penalty provisions of the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996, the Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the respondent's Certificate of Qualification and Registration and directed that he receive an oral reprimand.

The Member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for making inappropriate, discriminatory, and sexually explicit comments to students, including referring to a Muslim student as 'Bomber' and a Black student as a 'thief'.

The Discipline Committee accepted the agreed statement of facts and joint submission on penalty, finding the Member guilty of verbal and psychological abuse, failing to maintain professional standards, and engaging in disgraceful and unprofessional conduct.

The Committee ordered a written reprimand and required the Member to complete a pre-approved course on boundary violations and sensitivity issues before returning to teaching.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for professional misconduct, including making inappropriate comments to students, failing to supervise classes, and engaging in boundary violations.

The member pleaded guilty to the allegations and admitted to the facts, which included discussing personal issues, making insensitive remarks, and leaving students unsupervised.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty, finding the member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse as defined by the Act.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, an eight-month suspension of the member's certificate, and the successful completion of a boundaries course.

The Member, a teacher, was convicted of kidnapping a solicitor at gunpoint and possessing prohibited firearms and ammunition, resulting in an eight-year and four-month prison sentence.

The Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers found the Member guilty of professional misconduct for contravening a law relevant to his suitability to teach, engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a member.

The Committee ordered the immediate revocation of the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, emphasizing the gravity of the crimes and the need to protect the public and maintain confidence in the teaching profession.

The member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after physically and verbally abusing a grade-school student.

The member grabbed the student, pushed him through a door, and made intimidating remarks.

The member had previously pleaded guilty to criminal assault and received an absolute discharge.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty, finding the member guilty of professional misconduct and ordering a reprimand, noting the member had proactively completed anger management and professional boundaries coursework.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member for alleged professional misconduct during the 2013-2014 academic year.

The allegations included making inappropriate and sexually suggestive comments to students and colleagues, and engaging in inappropriate physical contact.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct for failing to maintain the standards of the profession, psychologically or emotionally abusing students, and engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable, unprofessional, and unbecoming conduct.

The Committee found that the member made inappropriate comments about a student's weight, embarrassed students, pinched a student's cheeks, and sexually harassed colleagues.

Allegations of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse were not proven.

The Member, a teacher, was found guilty of professional misconduct for repeatedly rubbing the upper thigh of a young female student over the course of one and a half academic years.

The Discipline Committee found that this conduct constituted physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, and a failure to maintain the standards of the profession.

The Committee rejected the College's proposed penalty of a one-month suspension as too lenient, instead ordering a reprimand, a six-month suspension, and the completion of remedial coursework on boundary violations and professional ethics.

The Ontario College of Teachers brought discipline proceedings against a member for professional misconduct related to two unsafe classroom demonstrations.

In one incident, the member conducted a combustion experiment without safety equipment, resulting in an explosion.

In another, the member placed a plastic bag over a student's head to demonstrate oxygen deprivation.

The member pleaded guilty to professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the member to complete a pre-approved course on classroom safety before returning to teaching.

The College brought a motion to withdraw allegations of professional misconduct against the Member in exchange for his Undertaking, Acknowledgment and Consent.

The Member agreed to resign his membership immediately and undertook not to teach in Ontario or apply for reinstatement for at least one year.

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 Ontario College of Teachers brought a discipline proceeding against a member who had been criminally convicted of possessing and accessing child pornography.

The member did not attend the hearing.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct based on the criminal convictions.

As the member's conduct involved a prohibited act involving child pornography, the Committee was required by statute to order the mandatory revocation of his teaching certificate and a reprimand.

The Member, a teacher and department head, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for purchasing stolen goods from a student, encouraging other teachers to do the same, and allowing the student to take school property in exchange.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty.

The Member was found guilty of failing to maintain the standards of the profession, engaging in disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional conduct, and conduct unbecoming a member.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a two-month retroactive suspension, and the successful completion of a professional ethics course.

The member, a teacher, pleaded guilty to professional misconduct after dropping a binder on a disruptive student's fingers to get his attention.

The Discipline Committee accepted the agreed statement of facts and found the member guilty of failing to maintain the standards of the profession, failing to comply with the Education Act, and engaging in unprofessional and unbecoming conduct.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand and requiring the member to complete a course on classroom management.

The College brought a motion seeking leave to withdraw allegations of professional misconduct against the Member.

The parties agreed to the withdrawal in exchange for an Undertaking and Acknowledgment in which the Member, who had already resigned her membership, agreed never to teach again in Ontario unless she successfully obtains reinstatement after completing pre-approved coursework on maintaining appropriate boundaries with students.

The Discipline Committee granted the motion, finding the resolution reasonable and in the public interest.

A high school teacher left his classroom unsupervised to disrupt a public health immunization clinic at the school.

He aggressively questioned nurses about vaccine ingredients, told students they could die from the vaccines, and intimidated both staff and students.

The Discipline Committee found him guilty of professional misconduct, including psychological abuse of a student, failure to supervise his class, and disgraceful or unprofessional conduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a one-month suspension, remedial coursework, and a two-year prohibition from attending school health clinics.

The Member pled guilty to professional misconduct for engaging in an inappropriate, sexualized, and psychologically abusive relationship with a student.

The Discipline Committee rejected a joint submission on penalty because it did not adequately protect the public, given the Member's prior disciplinary history for boundary violations.

Following contested penalty submissions, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a 24-month suspension, and specific coursework requiring the Member to demonstrate insight and rehabilitation before returning to teaching.

The Discipline Committee of the Ontario College of Teachers held a penalty hearing for a retired member previously found guilty of professional misconduct for making inappropriate comments with a sexual undertone to a female student.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a six-month suspension of the member's certificate, and the completion of a pre-approved course on maintaining professional boundaries.

The Member, a teacher, pled guilty to professional misconduct for engaging in a romantic and sexual relationship with a student during the 2012-2013 academic year.

The Discipline Committee accepted the Agreed Statement of Facts and found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, including sexual abuse of a student.

The Committee accepted a Joint Submission on Penalty and directed the Registrar to immediately revoke the Member's Certificate of Qualification and Registration, noting that the Member took advantage of the authority and trust placed in her as a teacher.

Dr. Khawar Hanif appealed a decision of the Discipline Committee of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario finding him guilty of professional misconduct regarding his treatment of a cat and a dog.

The Divisional Court dismissed the appeal regarding the dog, finding the panel's conclusion that Dr. Hanif misdiagnosed the dog with renal failure was reasonable.

However, the Court allowed the appeal regarding the cat, finding the panel made serious errors in assessing credibility and unreasonably concluded that Dr. Hanif had struck the cat.

The findings of guilt regarding the cat were set aside, and the issues of penalty and costs were remitted to the Discipline Committee for reconsideration.