Domestic and international students won a class action suit against George Brown College for negligently misrepresenting the benefits of its International Business Management Program. The 2007 course calendar purported that students could complete industry designations and obtain the college’s graduate certificate.
Justice Belobaba of the Ontario Superior Court held that the course description was false, misleading, and a breach of the Ontario Consumer Protection Act since the college lacked agreements with any of the associations to award such accreditations. In ruling in the students’ favour, Belobaba considered that the sole reason for enrollment was to obtain such designations and that foreign students had paid nearly $11,000 in tuition by the time the descriptions were corrected. Belobaba stated that the disappointed students neither had the additional time nor money to independently pursue the designations. George Brown’s arguments that reasonable students would know that the program was only preparatory were rejected.
Despite stating that the careless mistake should not be seen to impugn the otherwise highly regarded college, Belobaba awarded the students the difference between what they paid for and the program’s actual value. Exact damages are to be determined at a later date.
With files from The Globe and Mail.
