Sexual Violence Policy Review

At Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), the safety and well-being of our community members is a top priority. Sexual violence is a serious problem that needs attention and intervention – not only in the ways we respond, but in how we work to prevent it throughout society and within institutions. We are committed to fostering a culture of consent and to building safe and secure university environments that are free of sexual violence and harassment of any kind.

The university’s Sexual Violence Policy reflects our collective commitment to addressing all forms of sexual violence in our community and to promoting a culture of consent. 

Revised Sexual Violence Policy has been approved by the Board of Governors

On April 30, the university’s Board of Governors approved the revised Sexual Violence Policy. The updated policy reflects our collective commitment to addressing all forms of sexual violence in our community and promoting a culture of consent. The Sexual Violence Policy Review, which commenced in the fall of 2023, is mandatory and part of a regular review process required by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. It provided an opportunity to make meaningful improvements to the policy, and we are proud to share the revised version with the community.

The revised Sexual Violence Policy is the result of community feedback and input gathered in the fall 2023 and the winter 2024. This includes input from students, faculty, contract lecturers, and staff who participated in town hall consultations, online surveys and targeted feedback sessions. Additionally, faculty, academic and non-academic staff unions, student unions, administrators of the policy, and other stakeholders participated in feedback sessions.

The approval of the policy by the Board of Governors marks the conclusion of the Sexual Violence Policy Review process. This process helps to maintain our commitment to excellence and fairness of process and ensures that our policy continues to reflect community voices and input.

Summary of updates to the policy

The university made changes that reflect the feedback received during the review process. Here is a summary of the revisions made to the policy:

• The language in the policy is more accessible and easier to understand.
• There is now more clarity in regards to when the university has jurisdiction under the policy over incidents that occur online and off campus.
• There is now a more robust definition of sexual violence, which reflects that it is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of manifestations of sexual violence.
• The definition of the TMU community has been revised to give more clarity and to provide examples.
• The parameters of consent have been reviewed to more clearly account for when there is an imbalance of power.
• The role of Workplace Wellbeing Services has been updated to clarify how they provide support for faculty and staff affected by sexual and gender-based violence. 
• Timelines have been updated in terms of decisions and appeal procedures.
• The Policy adopted the legislated definition of Sexual Misconduct from the Strengthening Post-secondary Institutions and Students Act, Bill 26.

Review a high-level overview of all major revisions in the policy.

Creating a safe, inclusive, respectful and violence-free environment is our collective responsibility

Sexual violence is a serious problem that needs attention and intervention – not only in the ways we respond, but in how we work to prevent it throughout society and within institutions.

TMU has been working toward fostering and promoting a culture of consent on campus, in which everyone has a responsibility to prevent sexual violence. The revised Sexual Violence Policy focused on trauma-informed processes and procedural fairness, echoing community feedback that has been considered with thoughtfulness and care.  

We are proud that the Sexual Violence Policy has been a model for other universities, serving as a widely adopted template. The revisions to the policy reflect our responsiveness to community feedback and prioritization of enhanced accessibility and readability.

Thank you to all community members who contributed to the review

We extend a sincere thank you to everyone who participated in the policy review process. It was a community-driven process, with many opportunities for input and discussion including an online feedback form, feedback sessions with students, faculty, contract lecturers, staff, employee and student unions, and other stakeholders. 

Next steps 

Aligned with mandatory requirements and our commitment to excellence and fairness in our processes, the university will conduct the next Sexual Violence Policy Review in approximately three years.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the Sexual Violence Policy Review, please email SVPreview@torontomu.ca.