Sexual Violence Policy

Cestar College of Business, Health & Technology

Sexual Violence Policy

Revised: January 1, 2025

1. Sexual Violence Policy

Cestar College is committed to providing its students with an educational environment free from sexual violence and treating its students who report incidents of sexual violence with dignity and respect.

Cestar College has adopted this Sexual Violence Policy, which defines sexual violence and outlines its training, reporting, investigative and disciplinary responses to complaints of sexual violence made by its students that have occurred on its campus, or at one of its events and involve its students.

The person accused of engaging in sexual violence will be referred to as the “Respondent” and the person making the allegation as the “Complainant”.

2. Definition of Sexual Violence

Sexual violence means any sexual act or act targeting a person’s sexuality, gender identity or gender expression, whether the act is physical or psychological in nature, that is committed, threatened or attempted against a person without the person’s consent, and includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual exploitation.

3. Training, Reporting and Responding to Sexual Violence

Cestar College shall include a copy of the Sexual Violence Policy in every contract made between it and its students, and provide a copy of the Sexual Violence Policy to career college management (corporate directors, controlling shareholders, owners, partners, other persons who manage or direct the career college’s affairs, and their agents), instructors, staff, other employees and contractors and train them about the policy and its processes of reporting, investigating and responding to complaints of sexual violence involving its students.

The Sexual Violence Policy shall be published on its website (or where the Career College does not have a website in a conspicuous location on each of its campuses).

Career college management, instructors, staff, other employees and contractors of Cestar College will report incidents of or complaints of sexual violence to victoria.hartsias@cestarcollege.com, HR Department, upon becoming aware of them. Human Resources can be contacted by:

Phone: 416-485-8588 ext. 8508
Email: victoria.hartsias@cestarcollege.com

Students who have been affected by sexual violence or who need information about support services should contact Human Resources.

Subject to Section 4 below, to the extent it is possible, Cestar College will attempt to keep all personal information of persons involved in the investigation confidential except in those circumstances where it believes an individual is at imminent risk of self-harm, or of harming another, or there are reasonable grounds to believe that others on its campus or the broader community are at risk. This will be done by:

Ensuring that all complaints/reports and information gathered as a result of the complaint/reports will be only available to those who need to know for purposes of investigation, implementing safety measures and other circumstances that arise from any given case; and
Ensuring that the documentation is kept in a separate file from that of the Complainant/student or the Respondent.

Cestar College recognizes the right of the Complainant not to report an incident of or make a complaint about sexual violence or not request an investigation and not to participate in any investigation that may occur. Notwithstanding, in certain circumstances, Cestar College may be required by law or its internal policies to initiate an internal investigation and/or inform police without the complainant’s consent if it believes the safety of members of its campus or the broader community is at risk.

In all cases, Cestar College will appropriately accommodate the needs of its students who are affected by sexual violence. Students seeking accommodation should contact Human Resources.

4. Investigating Reports of Sexual Violence

Under this Sexual Violence Policy, any student of Cestar College may file a report of an incident or a complaint to Human Resources in writing. The other officials, offices or departments that will be involved in the investigation are Victoria Hartsias, School Administrator, and Shawna Sheldon, Manager of Quality Assurance.

Upon receipt of a report of an incident or a complaint of alleged sexual violence being made, Human Resources will respond promptly and:

Determine whether an investigation should proceed and if the Complainant wishes to participate in an investigation;
Determine who should conduct the investigation having regard to the seriousness of the allegation and the parties involved;

Determine whether the incident should be referred immediately to the police; In such cases or where civil proceedings are commenced in respect of allegations of sexual violence, Cestar College may conduct its own independent investigation and make its own determination in accordance with its own policies and procedures; and

Determine what interim measures ought to be put in place pending the investigation process such as removal of the Respondent or seeking alternate methods of providing necessary course studies.

Once an investigation is initiated, the following will occur:

The Complainant and the Respondent will be advised that they may ask another person to be present throughout the investigation;
Interviewing the Complainant to ensure a complete understanding of the allegation and gathering additional information that may not have been included in the written complaint such as the date and time of the incident, the persons involved, the names of any person who witnessed the incident and a complete description of what occurred;

Informing and interviewing the Respondent of the complaint, providing details of the allegations and giving the Respondent an opportunity to respond to those allegations and to provide any witnesses the Respondent feels are essential to the investigation;

Interviewing any person involved or who has, or may have, knowledge of the incident and any identified witnesses;
Providing reasonable updates to the Complainant and the Respondent about the status of the investigation; and
Following the investigation, Human Resources will:
1. Review all of the evidence collected during the investigation;
2. Determine whether sexual violence occurred; and if so
3. Determine what disciplinary action, if any, should be taken as set out in Section 5 below.

5. Disciplinary Measures

If it is determined by Cestar College that the Respondent did engage in sexual violence, immediate disciplinary or corrective action will be taken. This may include:

Disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff; or
Expulsion of a student; and /or

The placement of certain restrictions on the Respondent’s ability to access certain premises or facilities; and/or

Any other actions that may be appropriate in the circumstances.

6. Appeal

Should the Complainant or the Respondent not agree with the decision resulting from the investigation, he or she may appeal the decision to Shawna Sheldon within 10 days by submitting a letter addressed to Shawna Sheldon (Shawna.sheldon@cestarcollege.com) advising of the person’s intent to appeal the decision.

7. Making False Statements

It is a violation of this Sexual Violence Policy for anyone to knowingly make a false complaint of sexual violence or to provide false information about a complaint.

Individuals who violate this Sexual Violence Policy are subject to disciplinary and / or corrective action up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff or expulsion of a student.

8. Reprisal

It is a violation of this Sexual Violence Policy to retaliate or threaten to retaliate against a complainant who has brought forward a complaint of sexual violence, provided information related to a complaint, or otherwise been involved in the complaint investigation process.

Individuals who violate the Sexual Violence Policy are subject to disciplinary and /or corrective action, up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff or expulsion of a student.

As per S36.0.2(1)(d.1) of the Ontario Regulation 415/06, if a student, in good faith, report an incident of, or make a complaint about, sexual violence, they will not be subject to discipline or sanctions for violations of the career college’s policies relating to drug or alcohol use at the time the alleged sexual violence occurred.

9. Review

Cestar College shall ensure that student input is considered in the development of its Sexual Violence Policy and every time it is reviewed or amended.

Cestar College shall review its Sexual Violence Policy 3 years after it is first implemented and amend it where appropriate. This date is May 2020.

10. Collection of Student Data

Cestar College shall collect and be prepared to provide upon request by the Superintendent of Ontario Career Colleges such data and information as required according to Subsections 32. 3 (8), (9) and (10) of Schedule 5 of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 as amended.

As per S36.0.2(2)14 of the Ontario Regulation 415/06, a statement that students who disclose their experience of sexual violence through reporting an incident of, making a complaint about, or accessing supports and services for sexual violence, will not be asked irrelevant questions during the investigation process by the career college’s staff or investigators, including irrelevant questions relating to the student’s sexual expression or past sexual history

Resources

The College can provide referral services to any of the community services below and can provide a safe space upon request. This referral service does NOT require an incident to have been reported.

Resources are available to anyone regardless of whether or not they have reported an incident to the College. All discussion of referral services will remain confidential unless otherwise requested by the individual requesting referral. For example, the College can, if requested, contact these community resources on behalf of the individual making the request.

Appendix 1 lists provincial sexual violence and harassment centres that provide resources.

Appendix 1

SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRES (ONTARIO)

Region in Ontario	Sexual Assault Centre		24-hr Crisis Line	Office Phone Number
Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie)	Women In Crisis Algom a		1-877-759-1230	705-759-1230
Belleville-Quinte	Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte & Distric t		1-877-544-6424	613-967-6300
Brant	Sexual Assault Centre of Bran t		519-751-3471	519-751-1164
Bruce County	Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey : Sexual Assault Service s		1-866-578-5566	519-372-1113
Chatham-Kent	Chatha m –Kent Sexual Assault Crisi s Centr e		519-354-8688	519-354-8908
Cornwall	Sexual Assault Support Services fo r Women, Cornwal l		English: 613-932-1603 French: 613-932-1705	613-932-1755
Durham	Durham Rape Crisis Centr e		905-668-9200	905-444.9672
East Algoma (Elloit Lake)	Counselling Centre of East Algom a		1-800-721-0077	705-848-2585
Guelph-Wellington	Guelp h –Wellington Women in Crisi s		519-836-5710 1-800-265-7233	519-836-1110
Halton (Oakville)	Sexual Assault & Violence Interventio n Services o f Halto n		905-875-1555	906-825-3622
Hamilton	Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton & Are a (SACHA )		905-525-4162	905-525-4573
Kawartha (Peterborough & Area)	Kawartha Sexual Assault Centr e		705-741-0260	705-748-5901
Kenora	Kenora Sexual Assault Centr e		807-468-7233 1-800-565-6161	807-468-7958
Kingston	Sexual Assaul t Centre Kingsto n		613-544-6424 1-877-544-6424	613-545-0762
Waterloo	Sexual Assault Support Centre o f Waterloo Regio n		519-741-8633	519-571-0121
London-Middlesex	Sexual Assault Centre Londo n	519-438-2272 1-877-529-2272	519-439-0844
Muskoka Parry Sound	Muskoka Parry Sound Sexual Assaul t Service s		1-800-461-2929	Parry Sound: 705-774-9083 Toll free: 1-877- 851-6662 Muskoka: 1 877 406-1268
Niagara	Niagara Region Sexual Assault Centr e		905-682-4584	905-682-7258
Nipissing	Amelia Rising Sexual Assault Centre o f Nipissin g		705-476-3355	705-840-2403
Oshawa-Durham	Oshaw a –Durham Rape Crisis Centr e		905-668-9200	905-444-9672
Ottawa SASC	Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottaw a		613-234-2266	613-725-2160
Ottawa RCC	Ottawa Rape Crisis Centr e		613-562-2333	613-562-2334
Peel	Hope 24/7: Sexual Assault Centre of Pee l		1-800-810-0180	905-792-0821
Renfrew	Women’s Sexual Assault Centre o f Renfrew Count y		1-800-663-3060	613-735 – 5551
Sarnia-Lambton	Sexual Assault Survivors’ Centre Sarni a – Lambto n		519-337-3320	519-337-3154
Simcoe	Athena’s Sexual Assault Service s		705-737-2008 1-800-987-0799	705-737-2884
Sudbury	Voices for Wome n Sudbur y			705-523-7100 ext. 2647
Thunder Bay	Thunder Bay Sexual Abuse & Sexua l Assault Counselling & Crisis Centr e		807-344-4502	807-345-0894
Timmins	Timmins and Area Women in Crisi s		1-877-268-8380	705-268-8381
Toronto	Toronto Rape Crisis Centr e		(416) 597-8808	416-597-1171
Windsor-Essex	Sexual Assault Crisis Centre of Esse x Count y		519-253-9667	519-253-3100
York	Women’s Support Network of Yor k Regio n		1-800-263-6734 905-895-7313	905-895-3646

Other Resources and Supports Available to You

Good to Talk

Post-Secondary Student Helpline– Free 24/7/365 professional, anonymous support for students

1-866-925-5454

http://www.good2talk.ca/

Student Lifeline

Professional support for maintaining a healthy balance between school, work and everyday lift. Confidential consultations, counselling, community referrals, resources (articles, CD’s, booklets), and online tools (blogs, podcasts, Depression and Stop Smoking Centres)

1-877-418-1537

Tty/tdd 1-877-371-9978

LifeWorks.com

Pour le support francophone aux femmes victimes d’agression sexuelle:

CALACS (Francophone Sexual Assault Centres) in Ontario Centre

Passerelle pour femmes: CALACS du Nord de l’Ontario www.centrepasserelle.ca

C.P. 849 Timmins (Ontario) P4N 7G7

705 360-5657

Centre francophone d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel d’Ottawa www.calacs.ca 40, rue Cobourg

Ottawa (Ontario) K1N 8Z6

613 789-8096 calacs@calacs.ca

Centre Novas : Centre francophone d’aide et de lutte contre les agressions à caractère sexuel de Prescott-Russell www.centrenovas.ca

C.P. 410

Casselman (ON) K0A 1M0 613 764-5700

1 866 772-9922 poste 221 administration@centrenovas.ca

Carrefour des femmes du Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario: CALACS de la région du Sud-Ouest www.carrefourfemmes.on.ca

Casier Postal 774, London (ON) N6A 4Y8

519 858-0954 1 888 858-0954 bienvenue@carrefourfemmes.on.ca

Centre Victoria pour femmes www.centrevictoria.ca C.P. 308

Sudbury (ON) P3E 4P2 705

670-2517 info@centrevictoria.ca

Centr’Elles, centre des Femmes Francophones du Nord-Ouest de l’Ontario www.centrelles.com P.O. Box 26058

Thunder Bay (Ontario)

P7B 0B2

807 684-1955 1 888 415-4156 admin@centrelles.com

Oasis Centre des femmes www.oasisfemmes.org

465 Yonge Street PO Box 73022

Wood Street PO Toronto ON M4Y 2W5

Toronto 416 591-6565 services@oasisfemmes.org

Colibri – Centre des femmes francophones du comté de Simcoe www.centrecolibri.ca 80, rue Bradford, bureau 340

Barrie (ON) L4N 6S7

Barrie

705 797-2060 1 877 797-2050 admin@centrecolibri.ca

Centre de santé communautaire Hamilton/Niagara – Espace entre Elles www.centredesantecommunautaire.com

1320 rue Barton Est

Hamilton (Ontario) L8H 2W1

905 528-0163 1 866 437-7606 cschn@cschn.ca

Pour le support francophone aux femmes victimes d’agression sexuelle, se il vous plaît visitez (for French-language support to women victims of sexual assault, please also visit): Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes.

In the Toronto Region: The Toronto Rape Crisis Center

The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre/Multicultural Women Against Rape (TRCC/MWAR) is a non-profit feminist organization committed to fighting violence against women and children.

Services they provide include:

Contact:

General inquiries: info@trcmwar.ca

If you are in crisis and would like to speak to a counsellor please call our 24 hour crisis line at 416-597-8808 or email: crisis@trccmwar.ca

Learn More About Our Programs

Book A Consultation

View Our Programs