Ontario public school teachers protected from unreasonable searches: superior court

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada has said Ontario public school teachers have a Charter-protected right against unreasonable searches and seizures in the workplace.

The high court decision comes today in the case of two teachers who were reprimanded after a digital diary of their work-related concerns was discovered.

The case began in the 2014-15 school year, when a second-grade teacher in York Region began keeping a personal, password-protected journal.

The school principal took screenshots of the log and these were used by the school board to discipline the teachers.

The union filed a grievance over the written reprimands to the teachers, saying the board violated their privacy rights.

An arbitrator dismissed the complaint, a decision that was upheld by an Ontario court but later overturned by the province’s Court of Appeal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press