THE GOVERNING COUNCIL
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE GOVERNING COUNCIL
Thursday, February 27, 2025, 4:30 p.m.
UTM Council Chamber, William Davis Building
PRESENT: Anna Kennedy (Chair), Sandra Hanington (Vice-Chair), Meric S. Gertler, (President), Donald Ainslie, Aarthi Ashok, Glen Bandiera, Laurent Bozec, Vikram Chadalawada, Robert Cooper, Ann Curran, Samuel Elfassy, K. Sonu Gaind, Indi Gopinathan, Thomas Hofmann, Paul Huyer, David Jacobs, Sarosh Jamal, Linda Johnston, Akina Lalla, Mark Lautens, Kikelomo Lawal, Ron Levi, Scott MacKendrick, Brian Madden, Rajiv Mathur, Douglas McDougall, Joanne McNamara, Cameron Miranda-Radbord, Eha Naylor, Andrew Petersen, Maya Povhe, Danielle Skipp, William Verreault, Mary-Agnes Wilson, David Zingg, Trevor Young
Sheree Drummond (Secretary of the Governing Council)
REGRETS: Wesley Hall (Chancellor), Sharleen Ahmed, Amanda Bartley, Jovan Bursac, Luca Calabretta, Janet Cloud, Liam Dravid, Ramy Elitzur, Ankita Goyat, Maureen Harquail, Audrey Karlinsky, Grace Westcott, Geeta Yadav
Guests In Attendance: Alexandra Gillespie (Vice President and Principal, UTM), Archana Sridhar (Assistant Provost), Kelly Hannah-Moffat (Vice President, People Strategy, Equity and Culture), Bryn MacPherson (Assistant Vice-President, Office of the President & Chief of Protocol), Scott Mabury (Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships), David Palmer (Vice-President, Advancement), Christine Szustaczek (Vice-President, Communications), Kristin Taylor (University Counsel & Chief Legal Officer), Joseph Wong (Vice-President International), Alex Matos (Director, Internal Audit), Audelyn Budihardjo (Assistant Director, Internal Audit), Dwayne Benjamin, Raquel de Souza (Director, Partnerships & Innovation, UTM OVPRI), Philippe Devos (Director, Media Relations), Jeff Espie (Directory, Strategy and Brand Integration, UTM), Adam Fraser (Assistant Dean, OVPAD-UTM), Tim Fricker (Acting Assistant Dean, Student Wellness, Support and Success), France Gagnon (Vice Principal, Research and Innovation, UTM), Bill Gough (Interim Vice Principal, Academic and Dean), Ryan Hargraves, Arsalan Kahnemuyipour (Chair, Department of Language Studies, UTM), Julia Le (Issues and Media Relations Strategist), Mayo Moran (Professor, Faculty of Law), Chad Nuttall (Assistant Dean, Students & International Initiatives), Mark Overton (Dean of Student Affairs, UTM), Amanda Pautler (Executive Director, Public Affairs, UTM), Anuar Rodrigues (Executive Director, Strategy, OVPP, UTM), Ron Saporta (COO, OREP), Angelique Saweczko (University Registrar), Diana Virgovicova (Student Speaker), Eric Yang (Student Speaker)
Secretariat: Miranda Edwards (Recording Secretary), Cindy Ferencz-Hammond
IN CAMERA SESSION
The Governing Council moved in camera.
- Report Number 69 of the Committee for Honorary Degrees
The Council heard remarks from the President and Professor Mayo Moran, Chair of the Standing Committee on Recognition, regarding Report Number 69 of the Committee for Honorary Degrees. -
Senior Appointment
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED
THAT Professor Faye Mishna be appointed as University Ombudsperson, for a three-year term effective July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2028, or until her successor is appointed and takes office.
The Council moved into open session.
OPEN SESSION
- Chair’s Remarks
The Chair welcomed members and guests to the cycle three meeting of the Governing Council. She thanked guests for their patience while the Council began its meeting in camera.
University Ombudsperson
The Chair reported that, during its in camera session, the Council had approved the appointment of Professor Faye Mishna as University Ombudsperson for a three-year term. She congratulated Professor Mishna and thanked Professor Emeritus Bruce Kidd for his service as University Ombudsperson over the last three years.
Derecognition
The Chair reported that in the in camera session, it was reported to the Council that the Committee for Honorary Degrees had approved the derecognition, in the form of contextualization, of Duncan Campbell Scott’s honorary degree awarded to him by the University in 1921. The Committee had approved a Statement of Contextualization that would be reflected on the official list of Honorary Degree recipients maintained on the Committee for Honorary Degrees webpage, and added to the official record maintained by the Office of the Governing Council.
The Chair read the Statement of Contextualization into the record:
Duncan Campbell Scott’s legacy is fundamentally at odds with the University’s mission and values, in particular its commitment to human rights, equity and justice. His life’s work is inextricably intertwined with the devastating history of Canada’s residential schools. He presided over the expansion of the residential school system, authorizing the use of coercion and force in defiance of both legal opinion and court ruling. Despite the clear evidence of the terrible conditions and ‘startling death rolls’ in the schools, Scott and others in the government took insufficient measures to protect the health and wellbeing of the children in their care. These actions reveal an abhorrent disregard on the part of Scott (and Canada) for the fundamental human rights of Indigenous populations, and especially Indigenous children. In awarding Scott an honorary degree, the University of Toronto also failed to respect the human rights of Indigenous peoples and was complicit in the harms inflicted upon them. The University acknowledges and profoundly regrets its complicity. The University also recognizes that the effects of this odious history are still being felt today and it recommits to reconciliation.
The Chair then invited President Meric Gertler to make remarks.
The President informed the Council that the decision to de-recognize Duncan Campbell Scott followed the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Recognition. This committee was established in 2023, to consider requests for de-recognition, and its membership consisted of eminent members of the University community, including two leading Indigenous scholars. After extensive deliberations, the Standing Committee unanimously recommended to de-recognize Duncan Campbell Scott in the form of contextualization. They also recommended that the University acknowledge its own complicity in awarding the Honorary Degree at the time, when the harm of residential schools was already well known.
The President noted that this act of de-recognition was a significant acknowledgement of the horrific impact of residential schools, the individual role that Duncan Campbell Scott played, and the collective failures of the University, the federal government, and Canadian society. The contextualization statement acknowledged these failures and provided an opportunity for education and reflection as part of the University’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation. The President concluded by thanking the Standing Committee on Recognition and its Chair, Professor Mayo Moran, for their diligent work, and the petitioners for bringing this matter forward for consideration.
The Chair also thanked the Standing Committee and the Committee for Honorary Degrees for their careful consideration of this matter.
Elections
The Chair reported that elections for seats on the Governing Council, Academic Board, Campus Councils and their standing committees had concluded and that winners had been publicly announced the previous week. The names of winners were provided to the Council as follows:
Full-time Undergraduate Students:
Albert (Zhongheng) Pan
Rishi Shah
Jay-Daniel Baghbanan
Kevin Li
Part-time Undergraduate Students:
Susan Froom
Martina Gouda
Graduate Students, Constituency I:
Evan Kai Pang Chan
Graduate Students, Constituency II:
David Gren
Teaching Staff:
Constituency IC: Adam Stinchcombe
Constituency IV: Giovanni Grasselli
Constituency V: Dina Reiss
Constituency V: Paul Tenenbein
Administrative Staff:
Sarosh Jamal
Alumni Governors:
Indi Gopinathan
Scott MacKendrick
Eha Naylor
The Chair offered her congratulations to the successful candidates. She also thanked all candidates – both successful and unsuccessful – for their efforts and engagement in university governance. The Chair also thanked the College of Electors, and the College’s Chair, Ms Jennifer Dolman, for their critical work in electing alumni governors. Finally, she thanked the work of the Chief Returning Officer, Tim Harlick, and the Deputy Returning Officers in overseeing the elections process.
The Chair reminded Governors that applications were open for Alumni & Community members for the Campus Councils and their standing committees and encouraged Governors to reach out to their networks to encourage applicants.
Appointments
The Chair concluded her remarks by announcing that Mr. Rob Cooper had been reappointed as an LGIC member of Governing Council for a second three-year term effective January 16, 2025.
- Report of the President
The President began by remarking that he was pleased for the Governing Council to be back at UTM and had noted the dynamic energy of the campus. The President then invited Professor Alexandra Gillespie, Vice-President and Principal, UTM to address the Council.
Remarks from UTM Vice-President and Principal, Professor Alexandra Gillespie
Professor Gillespie began by welcoming Governors to UTM. She remarked on the many incredible changes that had occurred at UTM, noting that the campus had nearly tripled its student population in the last two decades, with continued growth expected in the future. Most importantly, many UTM students came from the Western GTA and continued to work in the region after graduation, helping to fulfill UTM’s mission of “place-based strength.” She noted that UTM was considered an anchor institution in Peel Region and injected approximately $2 billion annually into the local economy.
Principal Gillespie highlighted UTM’s current priorities, including re-imagined approaches to academic advising, becoming carbon neutral by 2040, becoming climate positive by 2050, acting on truth & reconciliation promises, launching work-integrated education experiences such as the new co-op program, and further expanding campus entrepreneurship.
The University’s entrepreneurship program was a network of business incubators with more than 1,200 venture capital-backed startups that had so far created over 177,000 jobs. Two of the “innovation engines” were located at UTM – the ICube, supporting social and sustainability enterprises, and SpinUp, a new, first of its kind, wet lab accelerator for companies innovating in life sciences. One of the start-ups that recently joined SpinUp was Xatoms. Professor Gillespie introduced alumnus Diana Virgovicova, founder and CEO of Xatoms, which aimed to develop technology that could purify polluted water around the world. Ms Virgovicova came to the University from Slovakia as a Lester B. Pearson scholar to study Computer Engineering with a specialization in AI. She was a St. George student before bringing her start-up to UTM’s SpinUp program and has since been named one of Forbes’ Top 30 under 30. Professor Gillespie invited Ms Virgovicova to address the Council.
Remarks from Alumnus, Ms Diana Virgovicova
Ms Virgovicova told the Council about her origins in Slovakia and how her interest in finding solutions to water pollution began from a young age. Ms Virgovicova told the Council that she had chosen to study at the University of Toronto because she was seeking an institution that would support her in continuing this research and becoming an entrepreneur.
Ms. Virgovicova described her company as a team of University-affiliated researchers using quantum chemistry and photocatalyst technology to develop a product which could decontaminate polluted water within thirty minutes. Since being accepted into the SpinUp program in Summer 2024, Xatoms had been able to turn theory into a real-world product. She credited SpinUp as a change-maker and driving force behind her company’s success, providing access to equipment and support that made the company scaleable and investable. She noted that Xatoms’ investors had toured SpinUp facilities and been impressed by the University’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs. Since joining SpinUp, Xatoms had created the world’s largest data set of photocatalysts, applied for a patent, launched pilot programs in South Africa, Kenya, and Canadian Indigenous communities, and made plans to continue scaling up in the years to come.
President Gertler thanked Ms. Virgovicova for her presentation and noted her company’s great progress.
Canada - U.S. Relations
The President began by remarking on the economic instability caused by the actions of the new Trump administration, including the recent imposition of tariff threats. He referred to recent U.S. executive orders pertaining to higher education and research funding; in particular, impending funding cuts and layoffs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation. The President noted that Canadian researchers who received funding from U.S. agencies were at risk of having their research funds frozen or revoked. He also noted that Professor Leah Cowen, Vice-President of Research and Innovation and Strategic Initiatives, had issued a statement in late January advising the University’s research community to prepare for possible funding disruptions. The President informed the Council that Chancellor Wes Hall was among the business, policy and labour leaders appointed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Council on Canada-U.S. Relations, which would lend its expertise and support to the federal government as Canada navigated these ongoing economic and policy challenges.
Federal Matters
The President stated that, following Prime Minister Trudeau's announcement that he intended to resign, Parliament had been prorogued until March 24th, and a federal election was expected to soon follow. The resulting political uncertainty had complicated advocacy efforts, but the University continued to focus on important issues such as the long-awaited Recognized Institutions Framework (RIF) for international student study permits.
Provincial Matters
The President noted that this meeting was taking place on Ontario’s election day and that polling had indicated that Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative party would win a majority. The party had recently released their full platform, which included a $450 million commitment to add approximately 20,000 new funded seats in STEM fields. The President stated that the University was well positioned to benefit from this policy. The University continued to work with the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) to advocate for further enrolment expansion, as COU estimated that by 2030, there would be an additional 100,000 prospective students in Ontario who could not be accommodated within existing capacity at Ontario universities.
International Students
The President reported that the University had received its 2025 Provincial Attestation Letters (PAL) allocation, and that it was generally expected to meet the University’s needs for its anticipated international enrolment. Ongoing discussions between the University and the Ontario government were expected, with the possibility of securing additional PALs through the re-allocation process. The President noted that, for the first time, graduate students had been included in the PALs quota, making up 16.8% of the total number of permits. The President published an op-ed on this subject in the Globe & Mail in January 2025, outlining his concerns regarding the inclusion of graduate students in these quotas, given their importance in driving Canadian research and scholarship.
Encampment Retrospective
The President provided an update on the encampment retrospective being undertaken by external consultants. The consultants were currently reviewing documents and conducting interviews with key decision makers and team members. The President advised the Council that there would be an opportunity for Governors to provide their input through a confidential form, and that further details would be shared soon.
Update on the Draft Guide to Law and Policy Regarding Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination
The President noted that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights issued a report in 2024 which recommended that Universities and colleges adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of antisemitism. He further noted that this definition had been adopted by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario. Following extensive consultation, the University’s Antisemitism Working Group had recommended not adopting any pre-existing definitions of antisemitism given that they may not be appropriate for academic environments. The President also noted that one of the authors of the IHRA’s definition had raised concerns about the definition’s potential to suppress freedom of expression and academic freedom within an academic environment.
In recognition of the need to address the challenges of antisemitism, and in compliance with the Ministerial Directive from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities pertaining to Bill 166, the University had decided to create a framework that relied on the Ontario Human Rights Code and Criminal Code as foundational policy touchstones. He noted that the University had also been working to improve its complaints process in line with the requirements of Bill 166 and the Ministerial Directive. This was intended to strengthen accountability, clarify processes, and empower staff to take concrete actions when faced with troubling behaviour. The University was also working on revisions to the 1994 Statement on Prohibited Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment and was currently in the consultation phase.
The President then invited Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffatt, Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity, and Culture to provide updates on the Draft Guide to Law and Policy Regarding Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination, and Professor Trevor Young, Vice-President and Provost, to comment on work underway on the collection of data on complaints of discrimination and harassment.
Professor Hannah-Moffatt informed the Council that the Draft Guide to Law and Policy Regarding Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination was posted to a publicly-available consultation website between November 28, 2024 and January 31, 2025. Her office received 281 responses from faculty, librarians, students, staff, and other community members. One of the key themes which emerged from the responses was a strong concern about antisemitism and a desire for stronger accountability mechanisms. Responses also urged the University to be willing to have difficult dialogues, to teach difficult subjects, and to honour academic freedom. Professor Hannah-Moffatt noted that her office would be supporting training and education for staff on the variety of perspectives and nuances within antisemitism and would be continuing to add new resources to the People Strategy, Equity and Culture website.
Professor Young reported that his office had collected data related to complaints of discrimination and harassment from Dean’s offices, Human Resources, the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO), EDI offices, Workplace Investigations, and the Office of the Vice-Provost, Students. The data collected spanned an 18-month period from July 1, 2022 until December 31, 2024. Preliminary data on complaints at the institutional level during this period show that there were 236 complaints, with 50 complaints related to gender identity and sexual orientations, and approximately 30 complaints in each category of anti-black racism, anti-asian racism, Islamophobia, and Antisemitism. The data showed an increase in complaints of antisemitism on campus during the encampment period, however the overall number of complaints was similar to those pertaining to other forms of racism or discrimination. The Provost noted that 49 cases had led to disciplinary action such as terminations or resignations or mandatory coaching/training.
Professor Young emphasized that these were preliminary findings and that data was still being reviewed. He told the Council that a more detailed report would be shared at the next Governing Council meeting.
The President thanked Professor Hannah-Moffat and Professor Young for their reports. He then concluded his report by reading into the record this year’s honorary degree recipients.
Janet Ecker
For her outstanding service to the University, as a governance leader, and for her outstanding service for the public good, through her contributions as a public official.
Patricia D. S. Jackson
For her excellence in the professions as one of Canada’s leading counsel, and for her outstanding service to the University through her extraordinary service on the University of Toronto Tribunal.
Zacharias Kunuk
For his excellence in the arts, entertainment and sports, as one of Canada’s most internationally celebrated filmmakers.
Ilya Sutskever
For his excellence in the academy and outstanding service to the public good, for his trailblazing work and global impact as a scholar and visionary in artificial intelligence.
Alan Taylor
For his excellence in the arts, entertainment and sports, as an award- winning director, screenwriter and producer.
David Wilson
For his outstanding service to the University as a transformational and dedicated volunteer.
Questions
A member reiterated his view that the University should adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism considering the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights’ recommendation, and its recommendation that universities provide antisemitism training and education delivered by organizations which recognize the IHRA definition. The member also noted that as the Council had voted at its last meeting against considering a proposed motion related to antisemitism, it should not be the one defining it. In response, another member commented that there was a diversity of opinions within the University’s Jewish community and that acknowledging only one definition may undermine freedom of expression and may itself be deemed intolerant.
The President again strongly condemned any acts of antisemitism, noting that the University took the importance of training extremely seriously and recommitted the University to addressing these issues in a timely and attentive way.
The Chair thanked members for their questions and the President for his report. - Presentation: International Enrolment Update and Strategy
Professor Joseph Wong, Vice President International, began his presentation by stating that he wanted to dispel two items of misinformation about the University’s international student recruitment. First, he stated that the University did not use commissioned agents and second, he confirmed that international students had never taken placements allocated for domestic students.
Professor Wong noted the decline in international student enrolment had had a significant negative impact on the Canadian university sector, but that the University was faring far better than most of its peer institutions due to its investments, its international reputation, and strategic efforts to diversify international recruitment. Nevertheless, Professor Wong acknowledged that the University faced an uphill battle in international enrolment. This was partly due to the competitive nature of international recruitment among top research universities, and also partly due to diplomatic and geopolitical issues that had reduced Canada’s brand image, particularly among Indian students. Applications from Indian students decreased 40% in 2023-24 and a further 40% in 2024-25. On a positive note, the University had recently benefited from the combination of a post-January “Trump Bump” as well as a favourable exchange rate, resulting in applications from U.S. students increasing by 22% this year.
Application numbers, which were used as a leading indicator of student interest, had stabilized to pre-pandemic levels. Among international students attending high school in Ontario, there was an 18% growth in applications. Professor Wong noted that this was significant because this category of students accepted the University’s offers at double the rate of other international students.
The University’s diversification strategy of source countries was implemented about seven years prior and had continued to be successful. In 2016, there were only seven countries from which the University had more than forty students; in the current year, there were sixteen countries from which the University had more than forty students. Students currently came from more than seventy different countries and the University had not relied on any single country for more than 50% of its international students.
The University committed close to $90 million for international student scholarships, which included approximately $12 million allocated for Pearson Scholars. The University also tripled the number of immigration advisors on staff and, last year, served 8,700 immigration advising appointments. Professor Wong then highlighted numerous strong success indicators for international students. Academic retention rates of international students matched or exceeded those of domestic students. By graduation, 84% of international students had participated in “high impact practices” such as co-curricular activities, mentorship, study abroad, leadership opportunities, or internships. This year, the University produced a documentary, The First 48 hours in Canada, which showcased international students’ largely successful integration into campus life.
Professor Wong noted that the University had a high study permit approval rating of approximately 90% due to the fact that the University was able to provide detailed data to the Ontario government regarding the quality of student talent and the quality of student supports provided. For this reason, the University continued to lobby the federal government to implement the Recognized Institutions Framework, which would fast-track study permits for the University’s international students.
The Provost commented that the University had successfully managed the risk posed by changes to international student regulations and congratulated university leaders and all enrolment and student services staff for their efforts in successfully executing the international enrolment strategy.
In response to a Governor’s question regarding the under-representation of European, African, and South American countries in the University’s international student body, Professor Wong noted that the University actively recruited in South America and Europe. He noted that the European market was highly competitive. The University had increased the number of students from Africa, but African students were more likely to have their study permits denied, in part due to systemic discrimination. The University had lobbied the IRCC to revise its protocols. - Debt Financing for Deferred Maintenance Program
Professor Scott Mabury, Vice-President, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships, provided a brief overview of this item by explaining that the University had a significant backlog of deferred maintenance building projects and that the University’s Business Board and external credit rating agencies had requested that more be done on this issue. A large-scale investment of this nature would allow the University to undertake projects on a substantive scale.
Professor Douglas McDougall, Chair of the Academic Board, summarized the Academic Board’s discussion on this item. He stated that there had been strong support for the proposal as a key driver of the University’s academic mission and its climate positive goals.
Mr. Rajiv Mathur, Chair of the Business Board, summarized the Business Board’s discussion on this item by stating that the Board was satisfied that the proposal balanced the University's financial long-term sustainability with the University's need to address its critical maintenance requirements.
In response to a member’s question, Professor Mabury told the Council that there were currently about $1.5 billion in deferred maintenance needs and acknowledged that not every project could be covered by the proposed allocation; however, he confirmed that the amount would cover every high priority project. He further noted that no building in the last couple of decades had ever been inaccessible to teaching or research due to infrastructure issues.
The Chair informed the Council that she had received a speaking request from Mr. Eric Yang, a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Music and President of the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association. The request had been reviewed by the Council’s Executive Committee. The Chair invited Mr. Yang to address the Council.
Mr. Yang described to the Council some of the infrastructure challenges that have been faced by Faculty of Music students in the Faculty’s two buildings, including limited rehearsal and performance spaces, lack of accessibility, minimal sound proofing, and the need to use off-campus spaces resulting in travel time and expenses for students. Mr. Yang requested that the Faculty’s buildings be prioritized under the deferred maintenance program.
The Provost thanked Mr. Yang for his remarks and noted that both of the Faculty’s buildings were on the deferred maintenance priority list. He further noted that some of the issues mentioned had already been addressed and rectified. Regarding the use of off-campus spaces, the Provost agreed that the current situation was not ideal, and was currently being addressed, but emphasized that no programming had been cancelled as a result of any building issues.
On motion duly made, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED,
THAT the scope of the Deferred Maintenance Program be approved in principle; and,
THAT the program be approved in principle to be funded through Debt Financing and the deferred maintenance budget.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Chair noted that of the items listed on the Consent Agenda, Item 7, was for approval. All other items were for information only.
On motion duly moved, seconded, and carried
IT WAS RESOLVED,
THAT the consent agenda be adopted, and that Item 7 be approved.
- Minutes of the Previous Meeting of the Governing Council – December 19, 2024
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved. - Reports for Information
Members received the following reports for information:- Report Number 555 of the Executive Committee (February 11, 2025)
- Report Number 254 of the Academic Board (January 30, 2025)
- Report Number 282 of the Business Board (January 29, 2025)
- Report Number 69 of the UTM Campus Council (January 21, 2025)
- Report Number 244 of the University Affairs Board (January 15, 2025)
- Report Number 554 of the Executive Committee (December 19, 2024)
END OF CONSENT AGENDA
- Business Arising from the Report of the Previous Meeting
There was no business arising from the report of the previous meeting. - Date of the Next Meeting – April 3, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
The Chair advised members that the Governing Council would next meet on April 3, 2025. - Question Period
Governors had no questions. -
Other Business
There were no items of other business.
The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
March 20, 2025