Court of Appeal dismisses TWU’s appeal
The Ontario Court of Appeal has determined that the Law Society of Upper Canada acted reasonably when it refused to accredit Trinity Western University’s proposed law school.
Trinity Western University (TWU) is an evangelical Christian institution. It requires all students and staff to sign a “Community Covenant” in which they agree that the only healthy form of sexuality occurs within a marriage between a man and a woman. Breaching the Covenant can lead to sanctions, up to and including expulsion.
The Law Society’s decided that it was not in the public interest to accredit a law school with a discriminatory admissions policy.
TWU challenged that decision, and its application for judicial review was dismissed by the Divisional Court. TWU then appealed to the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Appeal agreed with the Divisional Court that the Law Society acted reasonably and within its statutory mandate.
Our summary of the case is here.
Practice Areas
Appeals & Judicial Review, Constitutional Law, Human Rights Law