Who gets a copy of the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee decision following a hearing?

The Ontario College of Teachers Act sets out who must receive copies of the Decision and Reasons of the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee. The parties will receive an unredacted copy of the Decision and Reasons. The member’s employer will receive a redacted copy. The complainant who initially reported the concerns to the College will also receive a redacted copy following a discipline hearing. Generally, decisions are redacted to make sure that any information covered by a publication ban is not publicly disclosed (i.e., often to protect the identity of minors or victims of sexual abuse).

In fitness to practise matters, the complainant will only receive a redacted copy of the Decision and Order (i.e., without reasons) because the reasons might refer to sensitive medical information of members which should not be disclosed.

Redacted copies of discipline decisions are also posted on the College’s website and sent to legal databases including CanLII and Quicklaw, to ensure transparency and in accordance with the requirements of the Ontario College of Teachers Act. Fitness to practise decisions are not published so as to protect the sensitive medical information of members.