Sault College president sues Conestoga counterpart, seeks formal apology for vulgar attack
The war of words between the presidents of Sault College and Conestoga College has escalated into a legal battle.
A civil lawsuit was filed in Sault Ste. Marie on April 11 on behalf of Sault College against Conestoga and its president, John Tibbits, seeks $200,000 in damages plus interest and court costs.
The suit comes after Tibbits attacked Sault College president David Orazietti at an event Feb. 14, calling him a “whore” among other insults. None of the allegations has been tried in court.
The conflict is centred on the issue of housing for international students. In the statement of claim, Orazietti said that during an interview on Feb. 9, he pointed the finger at Conestoga, saying the international student population had grown too fast.
“Mr. Orazietti cited the example of the student population at Conestoga College growing by approximately 20,000 students in a year, and the resulting community concerns and increased demand for housing and other services in the community caused by such an increase in student population,” the statement of claim said.
Conestoga College president John Tibbits reportedly hurled insults at Sault College's David Orazietti following comments Orazietti made about Conestoga's impact on the federal government's decision to cap international student enrollment. (Cory Nordstrom/CTV News Northern Ontario)
“At all times, Mr. Orazietti’s statements were objective and based in fact.”
Tibbits fired back in a Feb. 14 interview. The statement claim accuses him of making these statements, among others:
- Stating Mr. Orazietti had only been on the job as president with Sault College for a few months and needed to learn to ‘shut his mouth’;
- Stating ‘Like Orazietti, why are his goddamn students in Toronto? Why not up there? Talk about a whore, I mean, he's taking a percentage of the profits of an operation," followed by ‘I can't stand the guy by the way.’
“Unfortunately, we’ve had to take this necessary step as a last resort given the seriousness of the public comments made by Mr. Tibbits to further protect the integrity of Sault College,” the college said in a statement.
“We have been more than reasonable in our request for a direct apology for his personal attacks and misinformation about our college and our operations. However, to date, the Conestoga College Board of Governors is either unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Tibbits accountable.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Loblaw leaders push back on 'misguided criticism' of grocer as boycott begins
Loblaw's new chief executive, as well as chairman Galen Weston, pushed back on what they called 'misguided criticism' of the grocer as a push to boycott the company gains steam online.
TD Bank hit with $9.2M penalty after failing to report suspicious transactions
Canada's financial intelligence agency says it has levied a $9.2-million penalty against The Toronto-Dominion Bank for non-compliance with money laundering and terrorist financing measures as the bank also faces compliance investigations in the U.S.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
This Canadian restaurant just lowered its prices. Here's how it did it
A Canadian restaurant lowered its prices this week, and though news of price tags dropping rather than climbing sounds unusual, the business strategy in this case is not, according to experts in the field.
Prince William and Kate release photo of daughter Charlotte to mark ninth birthday
Prince William and his wife Kate released a picture of their daughter Charlotte to mark the princess's ninth birthday on Thursday.
Doctors concerned about potential spread of bird flu in Canada
H5N1 or avian flu has been detected at dozens of U.S. dairy farms and Canadian experts are urging surveillance on our side of the border too.
There's a limit to how much interest rates in Canada and U.S. can diverge: Macklem
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canadian interest rates don't have to match U.S. or global rates, but there is a limit to how much they can diverge.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.