P.E.I. ombud's scope could soon include post-secondary institutions
Shane Ross | CBC News | Posted: June 20, 2023 9:49 PM | Last Updated: June 20, 2023
Bill introduced following scathing report into misconduct at UPEI
Post-secondary institutions such as the University of Prince Edward Island would be included under the jurisdiction of P.E.I.'s ombudsperson if legislation introduced by the Green Party becomes law.
Karla Bernard, MLA for Charlottetown-Victoria Park, brought the bill forward Tuesday in the P.E.I. Legislature. She said it will give people an external place where they can voice their complaints.
"To have someone who is independent, who can look at these, who can notice trends, who can look into things, gives us a much better, more well-rounded version of issues that are happening within our post-secondary institutions."
Under the current Ombudsperson Act, the office has the power to investigate decisions, recommendations and acts in or by a ministry, a government agency, a publicly funded health entity, a municipal entity, a council member, a board member, or any government officer or employee.
Unlike in some other provinces, P.E.I.'s ombudsperson does not have jurisdiction over post-secondary institutions.
Bernard said she hopes a vote on the bill will be held on Wednesday.
Government should consider expanding scope, ombud says
The motion comes after a scathing third-party review of UPEI that concluded the university "failed to create a safe, respectful, and positive environment for working and learning for all members of its community."
The Toronto law firm Rubin Thomlinson was hired to do the review after former UPEI president Alaa Abd-El-Aziz resigned in December of 2021, citing health reasons.
Abd-El-Aziz's resignation came shortly after a fresh allegation of misconduct was brought forward against him. He had been the subject of two previous complaints eight years earlier.
P.E.I. ombudsperson Sandy Hermiston told CBC it's an option the province should consider "as part of some package of reform that might be helpful with respect to any concerns about governance in post-secondary institutions."
The proposed legislation would allow her office to review decisions, recommendations, or acts relating to public post-secondary institutions on P.E.I., which include UPEI, Holland College, and Collège de l'Île.
Had the ombudsperson had jurisdiction at UPEI, Hermiston said complaints could have come to her office if people were not satisfied with the internal process.
"We always encourage a really robust internal complain mechanism because we want to see complaints resolved at the very first instance by the institutions themselves."
Other Canadian provinces where ombudsperson has full or partial jurisdiction of the post-secondary sector include British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Ontario.
Common subjects of complaints in those jurisdictions include admissions, loans and grants, academic appeals, student services, and the administration of institution policies.
Later Tuesday, a motion introduced by Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly was passed that would tie government funding for UPEI with how it implements the recommendations in the Rubin Thomlinson report.
"I think it's an important time in our history of post-secondary education on Prince Edward Island," McNeilly said.
"We need to set a goal to make this the best place in Canada, the safest place in Canada to go to school and a place that we can send our family members and we're proud of."