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Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy Review

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At Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), we are committed to promoting equity and enabling all community members to learn, work, live and flourish with dignity and respect. It is our shared responsibility to address discrimination and harassment across all areas of university life, including education, employment, extracurricular activities and student housing, to maintain a safe, inclusive and respectful environment and foster a welcoming atmosphere for everyone at TMU.

The Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy (DHPP) directs the university community on human rights, addresses discrimination and harassment, and guides the procedures for all parties involved in the human rights complaint resolution process at TMU.

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Policy review currently underway

TMU’s DHPP Review began in fall 2024, and will continue until spring 2025. The review will enhance our collective effort to continuously protect the right to equitable treatment and address discrimination and harassment across all areas of the university. It will reflect current federal and provincial human rights best practices, support the needs of TMU’s diverse community and address evolving challenges.

The primary goal is to update both the policy and its procedures as part of our ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and human rights at TMU. The review will be conducted by Human Rights Services in the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion (OVPECI).

Thank you for joining phase one consultations

Creating a safe, inclusive and respectful environment is a responsibility shared by all community members at TMU. Therefore, the DHPP Review will involve an extensive consultation process with students, faculty, contract lecturers, staff and other TMU community members, who are invited to contribute feedback about the policy through feedback sessions, town hall consultations, and surveys. The community survey ran from October 1 to November 15. Community members will have a second opportunity to provide input to the revised policy in February 2025.

What’s next?

The policy review team is revising the policy based on phase one community feedback. Once revised, the policy will be shared for additional community feedback during phase two consultations (scheduled to begin in February 2025). Additional feedback will shape the final policy, which will be submitted to the Board of Governors for approval in June 2025.

In 2011, the Board of Governors approved a reviewed Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy. The policy provides direction to the university community on human rights matters, as per the Ontario Human Rights Code (external link) , including the prohibition of discrimination and harassment in the university’s delivery of educational services to students, employment of faculty and staff, and housing of students.

The Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Procedures, which govern how the policy is applied, follow principles of fairness, due process and trauma-informed practices for all parties involved in the human rights complaint resolution process at TMU. 

While the DHPP procedures were revised in 2021, it has been 13 years since the policy was updated. TMU is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and human rights and is moving forward with a comprehensive review conducted by Human Rights Services within the OVPECI that began in fall of 2024 and will continue through the spring of 2025. The primary goal is to update both the policy and its procedures to ensure we continue supporting our community’s needs and producing and sustaining a human rights culture at TMU.

Human Rights Services offers human rights expertise to students, faculty and staff by providing proactive advice and consultation on human rights issues and delivering human rights-focused education and training across the university. 

For those who experience or witness discrimination or harassment at the university, Human Rights Services receives reports and provides confidential complaint resolution services rooted in trauma-informed approaches and procedural fairness. Human Rights Services can also refer students, faculty and staff to well-being resources to support them as necessary.

TMU community members who would like to report an incident of discrimination and harassment or learn about the options available to them can contact Human Rights Services at humanrights@torontomu.ca or 416-979-5349. Learn more about what we do.

Additional resources

  • Students can access well-being services and support, including individual counselling support and/or individual peer support hosted by Student Wellbeing.
  • Students can access Good2Talk (external link) , a free, confidential mental health support service for all post-secondary students in Ontario, available 24/7/365. Access support by calling 1-866-925-5454 or by texting “GOOD2TALKON” to 686868.
  • Student Care offers support to students navigating a variety of complex factors while they study, including financial, academic, physical and mental health challenges. Students are encouraged to connect with them at studentcare@torontomu.ca.
  • Faculty and staff members can access the Employee and Family Assistance Program for counselling and other supports, including culturally specific individual counselling.

Questions? 

If you have any questions or require more information about the Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy Review, please email dhppreview@torontomu.ca.