| Topic: | Employees, Employment and Workplace |
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| Approval Authority: | Board of Governors |
| Approval Date: | 30 September 2025 |
| Effective Date: | 30 January 2026 |
1. Purpose
The purpose of this Policy is to set out the principles for Good Faith Disclosures of Improper Activity and to describe the University’s response to such disclosures. The Policy supports the ability of Employees to disclose concerns in good faith, without fear of Reprisal.
2. Scope and Application
2.1 This Policy applies to all Employees.
2.2 A Good Faith Disclosure will be addressed under this Policy and the associated Procedures where there are no other established University procedures governing the Improper Activity.
2.3 Any Employee having information or reasonable grounds to believe Improper Activity has occurred, is occurring, or may be reasonably foreseeable to occur or imminent, is encouraged to make a Good Faith Disclosure.
3. Definitions
For the purposes of this Policy,
Employee means a person who is an employee as defined by the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 and for greater clarity includes any person who performs work or services for the University in exchange for wages. For clarity, a student who performs work or services for the University in exchange for wages is an Employee for this Policy.
Good Faith Disclosure means a disclosure made by an Employee under this Policy concerning any actual or perceived Improper Activity that is:
- Made under section 4.2 of this Policy;
- Based on a reasonable belief or information that the Improper Activity has occurred, is occurring, or may be reasonably foreseeable to occur or imminent in the workplace; and
- Made in good faith.
Improper Activity means an act or omission that an Employee knew or reasonably ought to have known to be wrong or inappropriate. Improper Activity includes but is not limited to:
- Significant financial misconduct;
- Theft, fraud, and/or misappropriation of university assets;
- Forgery, falsification, and/or inappropriate alteration or destruction of University records (paper and electronic); and,
- The act of concealing or attempting to conceal an Improper Activity, and/or knowingly directing or assisting in the commission or concealment of an Improper Activity.
Reprisal means taking action or threatening to take action against an Employee because they have made a Good Faith Disclosure or because they have cooperated with the University’s response to a Good Faith Disclosure.
4. Policy
4.1 York University aspires to high ethical, legal, environmental, managerial, professional standards by fostering a culture of honesty and accountability. It is equally committed to acting in accordance with all applicable legislation and regulatory requirements, as well as the University’s Policies and procedures.
4.2 The University will promote and maintain a means for Employees to make a Good Faith Disclosure regarding alleged Improper Activity that permits anonymous reporting and protects against Reprisal.
4.3 The University will take appropriate steps to carefully review all Good Faith Disclosures and respond and/or investigate as appropriate in accordance with this Policy and procedures.
4.4 The University will use reasonable efforts to keep the details of a Good Faith Disclosure confidential and will protect the identity of the Employee making the Good Faith Disclosure to the fullest extent possible if requested by that Employee. Employees may report a Good Faith Disclosure anonymously; however, the ability of the University to address a disclosure may be limited when the disclosure is anonymous.
4.5 Employees s who are found to have committed an Improper Activity may be subject to appropriate disciplinary action.
4.6 An Employee who makes a Good Faith Disclosure will be protected from Reprisal. Any Employee who knowingly makes an allegation of Improper Activity which is false, frivolous, vexatious, or made in bad faith may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination, as appropriate.
4.7 The University will review, respond, and/or investigate and take appropriate action to address allegations of Reprisal.
4.8 This Policy does not modify or supersede any other Policies nor any collective agreement. Any Improper Activity subject to an existing Policy or collective agreement will be processed according to that other Policy or collective agreement and any applicable procedure.
4.9 The Vice-President Finance & Administration will provide an annual report to the Board of Governors.
5. Roles and Responsibilities
The Vice-President Finance & Administration will be responsible for the implementation, administration and interpretation of this Policy and has the authority to develop procedures to that effect.
6. Review
This policy will be reviewed every five (5) years. During the review, the policy will remain in full force and effect.
| Legislative History: | Approved by the Board of Governors: 30 September 2025 |
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| Date of Next Review: | January 2027 |
| Related Policies, Procedures and Guidelines: |