On February 27, U of T’s Governing Council met to appoint a new ombudsperson, provide updates on the review of the Guide to Law and Policy on Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination, and address building maintenance issues.   

New ombudsperson appointed, an honorary degree de-recognized

The council approved the appointment of Professor Faye Mishna as the university’s ombudsperson for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2025. The ombudsperson is responsible for “ensuring that the rights of [the university’s] individual members are protected” through confidential discussions of concerns. 

Mishna is a professor in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry. She is also leading U of T’s 2025 review of its Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment.

The chair reported on the council’s decision to de-recognize the honorary degree awarded to Duncan Campbell Scott in 1921 for his contributions to Canadian literature. The council’s resolution followed a formal petition submitted by student advocates in 2022, demanding that the university publicly rescind Scott’s honorary doctorate degree. 

Scott, a historical figure known for his role in expanding Canada’s residential school system, was deemed to be in conflict with the university’s values of equity and human rights. 

“Taking this step acknowledges the horrific impact of residential schools, the individual role of Duncan Campbell Scott, and the collective failures of the university, the federal government and Canadian society,” said the chair.

A formal statement has been added to the records of the Governing Council Secretariat and the public record of honorary degree recipients, acknowledging Scott’s role in the residential school system and the university’s historical complicity in this harm. 

U of T President’s and UTM Principal’s reports

President Meric Gertler delivered a report discussing the recent tariff issue, funding concerns for U of T researchers, and policies affecting international students.  

“Of special concern for us are the Trump administration’s executive orders pertaining to higher education and research, particularly funding agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation,” said Gertler. 

He explained that Trump’s recent federal research funding cuts could have potential consequences for Canadian and U of T researchers, who are “at risk of their funding being frozen or revoked.”

He added that, in this situation, the university could benefit from supporting an initiative by Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives Party, which plans to allocate $450 million to expand the number of funded seats in STEM fields by over 20,000 positions annually.

Finally, Gertler expressed concerns about international student policies, referring to the Canadian government’s recent 10 per cent decrease in international study permits since the initial cap in 2024. This cap now applies to master’s and doctoral students, as of January.

“We feel this is a very unfortunate decision by the federal government to limit the number of very talented international students who want to come to Canada,” said Gertler.

UTM Principal and U of T Vice-President (VP) Alexandra Gillespie also gave brief remarks discussing U of T’s research initiatives. She highlighted UTM’s co-op internship program, introduced in 2024, and the Research Opportunity Program, which “now welcomes almost twice as many students into those work-integrated experiences as it did in 2020.”

She then introduced student entrepreneur Diana Virgovicova, founder of Xatoms, a deep-tech company that uses artificial intelligence and quantum chemistry to develop solar-activated materials for water purification. Virgovicova has been featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 North America 2025 List in manufacturing and industry. 

At the meeting, Virgovicova credited Spin Up — the university’s lab space and program aimed at supporting early-stage life science companies and entrepreneurs — with providing essential funding and mentorship for her startup. 

Updates on antisemitism and anti-Israeli discrimination policies

The council also reviewed ongoing discussions regarding anti-discrimination policies, including efforts to define antisemitism on campus. 

U of T recently released a draft of its Guide to Law and Policy regarding Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Discrimination at the University of Toronto. The university later conducted consultations to collect feedback from the university community on the guide, which ended on January 31.

Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s VP, people strategy, equity & culture, provided updates on the consultation results. She said that the university received 281 responses, 133 of which came from faculty and librarians, and about 111 came from students. 

Hannah-Moffat outlined several themes that emerged in the responses. Firstly, she said that “there’s a resounding concern about antisemitism, and there was a sense that [U of T] needed to take it seriously.” She also mentioned “consensus… around the need for stronger accountability mechanisms and the need for us to be able to assess, address, and monitor violations in university policy with respect to antisemitism.” 

Finally, many respondents mentioned the issue of academic freedom. “There was a sense that no matter what we did in terms of defining any form of discrimination, harassment or racism, including antisemitism, [we] had to also be cognizant of the ability to have dialogue… and the ability to teach, and sometimes teach difficult subjects and to honour academic freedom,” said Hannah-Moffat.

She added that the administration “noted there was a need for further consultation” and that they will continue to meet with Jewish groups on campus. She said that the university hopes to produce material for its website with a report on the progress regarding the recommendations based on the consultations.

U of T’s $1.2 billion building maintenance backlog 

Financial concerns, particularly related to deferred maintenance, were also brought up during the meeting. Deferred maintenance describes the infrastructure renewals and repairs delayed due to budget or resource constraints. This issue was originally brought up at the January Business Board and Academic Board meetings. 

The Debt Financing for Deferred Maintenance Program, presented for the council’s approval, included the program’s budget and allocation of funds. According to the document, the university plans to spend $300 million on deferred maintenance at UTSG.

Overall, U of T’s deferred maintenance backlog has been growing over time due to “years of underfunding” and “many building systems simultaneously reach[ing] obsolescence.” The UTSG deferred maintenance backlog is increasing by over $200 million this year, states the document. Currently, the downtown campus backlog equals $1.2 billion. For UTM, it is $73.2 million, and $141.6 million for UTSC. 

Meanwhile, the university’s annual maintenance budget is $41 million for UTSG, which equals to around three per cent of the backlog. The program explains that U of T’s “capacity to address the backlog now and into the future is diminishing” because of growing inflation, fiscal pressures, and the absence of government support.

And yet, VP, Operations and Real Estate Partnerships Scott Mabury, who is also a senior assessor on U of T’s Business Board, claimed that “every single high priority deferred maintenance project is covered” in the program.

After the program’s presentation, Eric Yang, the President of the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Association, who requested to speak on the matter, delivered his speech. Yang cited his faculty’s buildings as examples of a facility requiring urgent repairs. He specifically mentioned the Edward Johnson Building at 80 Queen’s Park and the Jazz Building at 90 Wellesley Street West. 

“There’s minimal soundproofing, there’s issues [with] carpeting, there’s issues with clean water and lead in water,” Yang said about 90 Wellesley. As for the Edward Johnson Building, he mentioned the maintenance closure of the MacMillan Theatre, which “puts on three shows a year and also provides opportunities for musicians in the orchestral stream to play in the pit orchestra.”

U of T’s VP & Provost Trevor Young responded to Yang’s concerns by acknowledging the deferred maintenance issues in both faculty buildings. He said, “I know that some of the things that you mentioned have been addressed already to 90 Wellesley in terms of painting [and] water. The MacMillan Theatre — we are working through that project.”

After this brief discussion, the motion to approve the Debt Financing for Deferred Maintenance Program carried.

Editor’s note (March 12, 7:12 PM): One of this article’s subheadings has been updated to reflect that the honorary degree given to Duncan Campbell Scott has not been “revoked” but has been “de-recognized.”