Statement on Bill 166, Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024 (HTML)

Statement on Bill 166, Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024

Approved by the Board of Governors on December 12, 2024.

McMaster University is dedicated to advancing inclusive excellence and creating and fostering safe and respectful environments for our community. The University strives to be a place where students, faculty, and staff can develop and thrive at McMaster and beyond.

In order to achieve this, McMaster University is committed to establishing accessible, equitable, and inclusive learning, living and working environments. Racism and hate, including but not limited to anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia, will not be tolerated at McMaster. The University is dedicated to addressing and combatting all forms of discrimination and harassment.

The University understands that for the University Community to feel safe, valued, and supported, it must continue to advance the University’s human rights objectives. This is achieved by:

  • providing leadership to advance institutional equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) priorities and inclusive excellence goals;
  • providing education, training, and resources related to accessibility, inclusion & anti-racism, human rights, and sexual violence; and
  • providing harassment, discrimination, and sexual violence prevention and response services, embedded in University policies and procedures.

McMaster’s Discrimination & Harassment Policy sets out how concerns and complaints of discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence are addressed.

This Statement clarifies the scope and mandate of McMaster’s Discrimination & Harassment Policy to ensure compliance with Bill 166, Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024, as follows:

  • the definition of University Community includes guest speakers;
  • the University will accept anonymous complaints under various policies and rules of the institution, however, this may limit the ability of the University in some cases to respond and take action;
  • all complaints received will receive initial communication from the designated department no more than 30 days after filing, along with an outline of the process, next steps, and an estimated time for the issue to be addressed;
  • the estimated time for the issue to be addressed will be no longer than 12 months from receiving the complaint;
  • the relevant Intake Officer Director, in consultation with the Response Team, will review the complaint to assess relevant factors and will confirm if it first is within the scope of the policy, including whether the allegations, if true, would constitute a violation of the policy;
  • review requests or filing an appeal must be submitted within ten (10) business days of the decision date;
  • the University will report the number of complaints reported by students, staff, and faculty, as well as the sub-category and outcomes, in a manner that protects the privacy of all individuals publicly on our dedicated webpage;
  • the report will be submitted to the Minister by January 31st of each year, beginning January 31, 2026; and
  • the policy will include a reference to the Ontario Ombuds as an additional independent resource for community members.

The updates in this Statement will be incorporated into the Discrimination and Harassment Policy at its next approved revision.