Ontario teachers and married couple Matt and Nicole Alexander are facing an investigation that could jeopardize their teaching certificates after being fired in 2023 for acting on their faith-based convictions about sexuality and gender.
The Alexanders are currently the subject of an Ontario College of Teachers probe linked to their termination three years ago by the Renfrew County District School Board, according to the organization funding the Alexanders’ defence.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) said it has hired lawyers to represent the couple in the College’s inquiry into the circumstances surrounding their dismissals.
Matt Alexander was suspended from his Grades 7 and 8 teaching position by the school board in April 2023 following allegations tied to social media posts, even though he had no public social media accounts at that time, the JCCF said.
Nicole Alexander was suspended the following month for removing a Pride poster that had been placed on her kindergarten classroom door without her knowledge or consent, the organization said.
The couple from Cobden, Ont., was officially fired by the school board in October of that year for not “celebrating and affirming” LGBT issues.
The College investigation, nearly three years later, is the latest development in the Alexanders’ ongoing legal fight.
“After being fired for our Christian beliefs, we are now under investigation by the Ontario College of Teachers,” Matt Alexander wrote in a Sept. 1 social media post. “This marks a new chapter in the lawfare waged against us.”
He said he and his wife Nicole were fired for refusing to “celebrate LGBTQ with children” and were “financially devastated” as a result.
Nicole Alexander said the family was forced to sell their home.
“And the pension we paid into for over 20 years has been decimated,” she added in a statement. “It put a black mark on us, effectively ending our careers in public education. Retraining for new careers has been necessary.”
Constitutional lawyer Darren Leung said their dismissals remain under challenge, but the College investigation is an independent process that could potentially result in the loss of Ontario teaching certificates for both educators.
The Epoch Times contacted the Ontario College of Teachers for comment. Spokesperson Andrew Fifield declined to provide comment on the case.
“By law, the College is unable to comment on any investigations or complaints, nor can we confirm whether an investigation is ongoing,” he said in a brief emailed statement.
The College is a self-regulatory professional body that licenses, governs, and regulates the teaching profession in Ontario and is responsible for setting professional and ethical standards for all members.
No finding of professional misconduct has been made in the case, the JCCF noted.
“Both had unblemished disciplinary records before the events that led to their dismissals,” the organization added. “They treated all students with dignity and respect regardless of differences in belief or identity.”
The Alexanders must respond to the allegations within 60 days. The College’s Investigation Committee will then determine whether to dismiss the complaints, issue a warning or reprimand, or escalate the issues to the Discipline Committee for additional action, the JCCF said.
Human Rights Complaint
The Alexanders have launched a human rights complaint against the Renfrew County District School Board alleging religious discrimination and a Labour Relations Complaint filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board against the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) for not adequately defending and representing them, which includes the refusal to advance their case to arbitration.
The Epoch Times contacted the Renfrew County District School Board for comment on the complaints. Spokesperson Jay Makwana said the board “has no comment” on the matter. The Epoch Times also contacted the union for comment but did not hear back prior to publication.
Lawyer Darren Leung said the main issue in the case is the protection of professional rights.
“Professionals have the same rights as all other Canadians to express themselves, and should not be punished and threatened with a loss of their livelihood simply for expressing their views,” he said in the JCCF release.
The Alexanders were already grappling with freedom of expression issues prior to their suspensions, due to a separate legal battle involving their teenage son.
Grade 11 student Josh Alexander was suspended from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School in Renfrew, Ont., in November of 2022 for expressing traditional gender beliefs in class and organizing a student walkout to protest biological boys being permitted in girls’ bathrooms.
The Renfrew County Catholic District School Board later changed his suspension to an “exclusion” from school because they said the teen posed a “safety risk.”
The Ontario Divisional Court sided with the school board in the legal battle, deeming the teen’s exclusion to be “reasonable,” and emphasized that the school board made its decisions based on his behaviour, not his beliefs.
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