Formal Grievances
A chronological index of formal grievances filed by Denis Rancourt against the University of Ottawa with outcomes of arbitratrations or settlements
Each formal grievance is a lawsuit filed under the purview of labour law in Ontario.
[1] 2005.Oct.12 Grievance G-1 - Dean barges into "Activism Course" class
>>> Supporting document to G-1, letter from Rancourt to dean
>>> 2007.Nov Memorandum of Settlement
OUTCOME: University admitted wrongdoing and expressed regret in a Memorandum of Settlement signed in November 2007.
[2] 2005.Nov.16 Grievance G-2 - Dean refuses to show alleged student complaint
>>> Grievance text G-2 [with attached supporting documents]
>>> 2005.Nov.22 letter from Dean retracting all documents from file
OUTCOME: University retracts all its allegation documents from file, and states that it will not pursue or use its allegation in any way.
COMMENT: The University's retractions did not solve the problem that the Dean had lied about a student complaint. Therefore, this was taken up in grievance G-6.
[3] 2005.Nov.28 Grievance G-3 - Harassment
OUTCOME: Rancourt's union (APUO) decided that there was not sufficient accumulated evidence to prove a "pattern of harassment."
[4] 2006.Jan.12 Grievance G-4 - Use of the pass/fail (satisfactory/non-satisfactory, S/NS) grading method
>>> Grievance text G-4 [with supporting documents]
>>>APUO Bulletin union report on Policy grievance [see "SATISFACTORY NOT SATISFACTORY GRADING item]
OUTCOME: A formal February 2009 Settlement has the University withdrawing its Dec.2.2005 Dean's memo forbidding the use of the S/NS grading method. The Arbitrator's Award for G-5 established the legal precedent that the choice of the S/NS grading method is under the purview of a professor's academic freedom.
[5] 2006.Feb.27 Grievance G-5 - Academic Squatting
>>> Published legal analysis of the Arbitration Award [obtained via access to information law]
>>> UofOWatch blog report of the arbitration victory
OUTCOME: This was the first Rancourt grievance to go to a full labour law arbitration hearing. This gave rise to a landmark decision regarding academic freedom in Canada. The arbitrator concluded that all of the pedagogical methods employed by Professor Rancourt were protected under the purview of his academic freedom.
[6] 2006.Jun.20 Grievance G-6 - Dean Christian Detellier lied about student complaint
>>> Grievance text G-6 [with supporting documents]
OUTCOME: Rancourt's union (APUO) decides that the Dean may or may not have lied and that it would be too difficult to prove lying.
[7] 2006.Jul.10 Grievance G-7 - Jewish Student Association (JSA) accusations of anti-semitism and CUPE complaint about criticism
>>> 2009.Sep.24 Memorandum of Settlement
OUTCOME: The University was required to remove and declare void all (six) of its letters of allegations, see Memorandum of Settlement
[8] 2007.Jan.03 Grievance G-8 - Unethical behaviour of Professor Alain St-Amant and harassment by the University
>>> Grievance text G-8 [with supporting documents, 71-pages]
>>> 2007.Nov.06 Dean's letter about controlling Professor St-Amant
>>> UofOWatch report of recent St-Amant behaviour
OUTCOME: Dean of the Faculty of Science intervenes, meets St-Amant several times, instructs St-Amant to stop, and sends Rancourt a letter (2007.Nov.06) of assurance that St-Amant's behaviour has and will stop.
[9] 2007.May.18 Grievance G-9 - Unethical behaviours of President, of VP-Academic, and of Dean, harassment, interference
OUTCOME: Rancourt's union (APUO) sees no problem with Rancourt being arbitrarily removed from all (three) the courses that he developed and that have a "science and society" theme, including the "Activism Course" (SCI 1101).
[10] 2007.Jul.09 Grievance G-10 - Dean's use of Star Chamber methods
>>> Grievance text G-10 [with all supporting documents]
STATUS: Folded into G-13 and G14.
[Note: "Star Chamber" definition/Wikipedia.]
[11] 2007.Aug.16 Grievance G-11 - "Politics and ethics in the physics profession" disallowed as a project topic in the Physics Department
>>> Grievance text G-11 [with all supporting documents, 84-pages]
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[12] 2007.Sep.17 Grievance G-12 - Dean's Star Chamber again...
STATUS: Folded into G-13 and G14.
[Note: "Star Chamber" definition/Wikipedia.]
[13] 2007.Dec.05 Grievance G-13 - Quoted in a press release against the cancellation of the "Activism Course"
STATUS: Assumed by the union; Pending arbitration.
[14] 2007.Dec.10 Grievance G-14 - Too much social activism for Dean's taste in SCI 1101 Science in Society fall-2006 "Activism Course"
>>> 2007.Nov.20 Letter of Reprimand from Dean of the Faculty of Science Andre E. Lalonde
STATUS: Assumed by the union; Pending arbitration.
[15] 2007.Dec.13 Grievance G-15 - Threatened with dismissal for assigning high grades in PHY1722 winter-2007
STATUS: Assumed by the union; Pending arbitration.
[16] 2008.Feb.24 Grievance G-16 - Ideological censorship of UofOWatch blog; Letter of reprimand must be revoked
>>> Grievance text G-16 (and see related grievance G-19; and see description of disciplinary campaign against the UofOWath blog HERE)
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[17] 2008.Sep.08 Grievance G-17 - University's refusal to assign any teaching using a bogus investigation as a pretext
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[18] 2008.Sep.12 Grievance G-18 - Unjustified attempt by dean Gary Slater to expel from School of Graduate Studies
>>> UofOWatch blog post about dean Gary Slater in this matter
>>> Public letter that stopped the ambush
>>> INSIDE VIEW: Court reporter transcript of the failed required settlement attempt meeting of 2009.Mar.03 [ PART-I , PART-II ]
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[19] 2008.Oct.07 Grievance G-19 - Disciplinary suspension for UofOWatch blog
>>> Grievance text G-19 (and see description of disciplinary campaign against the UofOWath blog HERE)
>>> UofOWatch blog post about grievance G-19
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[20] 2008.Dec.01 Grievance G-20 - Interference with Physics Project Course and unilateral de-registration of student
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[21] 2008.Dec.15 Grievance G-21 - Definitive administrative suspension applied on Dec-10-2008
>>> Letter to former VP-Governance Nathalie Des Rosiers about the suspension (see Points-1 and 2)
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[22] 2008.Dec.22 Grievance G-22 - Laboratory lockout, procedural violations, false accusations of criminal act
>>> Letter to former VP-Governance Nathalie Des Rosiers about false accusations (see Point-7)
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[23] 2009.Jan.11 Grievance G-23 - Dismissal procedure violation of natural justice
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[24] 2009.Apr.16 Grievance G-24 - Dismissal of tenured Full Professor Denis Rancourt
>>> President Allan Rock's opinion about the dismissal
[Note: See grievance G-17 for an "INSIDE VIEW" discussion about the grading question as pretext...]
STATUS: Required settlement attempt meeting failed; Under further consideration
[25] 2009.Nov.22 Grievance G-25 - Covert surveillance of a professor and of students
>>> University's acknowledgment and opinion on receipt
STATUS: Awaiting required settlement attempt meeting
