Bill 132, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, passed on March 8, 2016. It will require universities to have campus policies addressing sexual violence, consider student input on those policies, and share information regarding sexual harassment and violence on campus with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Bill 132 also expands employer duties under the Occupation Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to include workplace sexual harassment.
Amendments were made to the bill before it was passed, clarifying that campus sexual violence policies could cover faculty and other non-student groups on campus. These changes increase the importance of OCUFA’s recommendation that all campus groups affected by these policies have the right and opportunity to provide input in policy development and review processes. While this recommendation was not included in the legislation, OCUFA continues to advocate that it be included in the accompanying regulations.
OCUFA and CAUT’s full submission regarding Bill 132 can be found on the OCUFA website here.