Summary of Revisions

This page offers a high-level overview of the significant revisions made to the Sexual Violence Policy (referred to as the Policy). These revisions have been informed by stakeholder input and feedback gathered during consultation periods in the fall of 2023 and winter of 2024.

• The Policy is more accessible and is written in plain language. 
• The opening sections of the Policy have been updated. For example: 
  • The Introduction and Purpose sections of the Policy have been strengthened to reflect TMU’s commitment to: 
    • an environment free of sexual violence, 
    • the wellbeing of all TMU community members, and 
    • a complaint resolution process that is trauma-informed, procedurally fair and which holds those who have breached the Policy accountable. 
  • The Policy now includes a Values and Guiding Principles section, consistent with other policies at TMU. 
• The structure and order of some sections of the Policy have been rearranged to ensure clearer delineation between the sections on Education and Support, and the Complaint Resolution Process, which is separated into Policy and Principles and Procedures. 
• To support greater education and clarity, the Policy has several revisions in its definitions.
  • The Definitions section has been moved up, and core concepts have been defined or updated, for example trauma-informed process, reprisal and restorative justice.
  • A more robust definition of sexual violence reflects that it is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of manifestations of sexual violence. The Policy also now provides definitions for those manifestations of sexual violence.
  • The definition of the TMU community has been revised.
• The parameters of consent reflect that where there is an imbalance of power, there is a risk that consent is not freely given in a romantic relationship or sexual activity.
• The Confidentiality section has been updated, and the limits to confidentiality have been identified to provide greater transparency.
• The Policy has been updated to outline the role of Workplace Wellbeing Services in supporting faculty and staff who have been affected by sexual or gender-based violence.

• The Application and Scope section has been updated to provide more transparency on when the university has jurisdiction to commence a complaint resolution process under the Sexual Violence Policy over incidents that occur online and off-campus. 
• Timelines have been updated in three circumstances: 
  • The timeline for Human Rights Services to notify the complainant and respondent of receipt of the final report from the investigator and inform them who has been appointed as the decision maker on their complaint has been increased to 10 business days from the current 5 business days.
  • The timeline for the decision maker to render their decision has been increased to 30 business days from the current 20 business days to reflect the complexity and thoroughness of decision-making. 
  • The timeline for the appeal decision maker to communicate their appeal decision has increased to 20 business days from the current 15 days to reflect the complexity and thoroughness of decision-making.
• The Policy has been updated to reflect TMU’s legal obligations under the  (PDF file) Strengthening Post-Secondary Institutions and Students Act, 2022 (external link) . This includes that the Policy adopts the legislated definition of sexual misconduct from Bill 26. 
• In cases of sexual misconduct, the appeal process for non-unionized employees was updated to create consistency between unionized and non-unionized employees. Now, non-unionized employees may only internally appeal the process and findings, and not accountability measures, which is aligned with unionized employees' grievance right.

Questions?

If you have any questions, please email SVPreview@torontomu.ca.