Fee Refund Policy as Prescribed under s. 25 to 33 of O.Reg. 415/06
Fee refunds policy
24. (1) The definitions set out in subsection (2) and the provisions set out in sections 25 to 33 are prescribed as provisions that a career college is required, by section 29 of the Act, to include in its fee refund policy.
(2) In sections 25 to 27,
“earned fees” means the amount of all fees paid for a vocational program that is proportional to the number of instruction hours that have taken place when a withdrawal or expulsion occurs;
“program mid-point” means the point in the progress of a vocational program where half of the scheduled hours of instruction for the program have taken place;
“service fee” means the lesser of 20 per cent of all vocational program fees and $500.
Full refunds
25. If a student has entered into a contract with Connect International School (the “Institution”) for a vocational program, the Institution shall give a refund of all fees paid for the program in the following circumstances:
1. The student rescinds (cancels) the contract in writing within two days of receiving a copy of it, in accordance with section 36 of the Act.
2. Before the student completes the program, the Institution discontinues the program or the college’s approval to provide the program is revoked by the Superintendent, but the Institution remains registered under the Act.
3. The Institution collects any fees before receiving a certificate of registration from the Superintendent.
4. The Institution collects any fees before the program was approved by the Superintendent.
5. The Institution collects any fees other than a service fee before the student has entered into a contract with the Institution.
6. The Institution expels the student in a manner or for reasons that are contrary to the Institution’s expulsion policy.
7. The Institution does not provide an evaluation, in writing, of the student’s progress as required under section 12.
8. The student voids the contract under subsection 18 (2) due to a statement, image or video made by the Institution that is prohibited under subsection 18 (1).
9. The student voids the contract under section 22 because it is missing a term required under section 20.
10. The student receives instruction from an instructor who is not qualified under section 41 for more than 10 per cent of the program’s duration.
Full refunds minus service fee
26. The Institution shall give a refund of all fees paid for a vocational program, except the service fee, in the following circumstances:
1. The student gives written notice to the Institution, before the program start date specified in the student’s contract with the Institution, that the student is withdrawing from the program.
2. The student is admitted to the program on the condition that the student meet specified admission requirements before the program start date specified in the student’s contract with the Institution, and the student does not meet the requirements before that day.
3. The student does not attend the program within the first 14 days of the program after the program start date specified in the student’s contract with the Institution and is given written notice that the contract is cancelled from the Institution within the first 45 days of the program.
4. The Institution is notified by or on behalf of an international student before the program mid-point that the international student has not been issued a temporary resident visa as a member of the student class under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
Partial refunds
27. (1) The Institution shall give a student a refund of the fees paid for a vocational program in accordance with this section if,
(a) the student withdraws from the program after the program start date specified in the student’s contract with the Institution; or
(b) the student is expelled from the program for a reason permitted under the Institution’s expulsion policy.
(2) If a student’s program is scheduled to be up to 12 months in duration, the Institution shall give a refund for the program as follows:
1. If the withdrawal or expulsion occurs before the program mid-point, the college shall give a refund equal to the amount of all fees paid, less the service fee and any earned fees.
2. If the withdrawal or expulsion occurs after the program mid-point, no refund is required for the program.
(3) If a student’s program is scheduled to be more than 12 months in duration, the Institution shall give a refund for the initial 12-month period of the program and any subsequent period as follows:
1. If the withdrawal or expulsion occurs before half of the scheduled hours of instruction have taken place for the period, the Institution shall give a refund equal to the amount of all fees paid for the period, less the service fee and any earned fees.
2. If the withdrawal or expulsion occurs after half of the scheduled hours of instruction have taken place for the period, no refund is required for that period.
3. If a period has not yet started at the time of the withdrawal or expulsion, the Institution shall give a refund of all fees paid for that period.
Refund of compulsory fees
28. (1) The Institution may only charge or collect compulsory fees in relation to a vocational program after the fees have been published by the Superintendent under subsection 43 (2).
(2) If the Institution collects a compulsory fee that has not been published by the Superintendent under subsection 43 (2), the Institution shall give a refund of the fee to the student on written request from the student.
No retention of refund
29. The Institution shall not retain any refund of fees payable to a student under sections 25 to 28 in order to recover or set-off an amount a student owes the Institution for any service or program other than a vocational program offered by the Institution.
Timing of refunds
30. A refund payable by the Institution must be issued to students within 30 days after the day a student,
(a) delivers a written notice to withdraw from the program to the Institution;
(b) is given a written notice of expulsion by the Institution; or
(c) delivers a written request for a refund to the Institution under subsection 28 (2).
Treatment of books and equipment
31. In calculating a refund under sections 25 to 29, the Institution may retain the retail cost of books or equipment that the Institution supplied to the student if the student,
(a) fails to return the books or equipment to the Institution within 10 days of the student’s withdrawal or expulsion from the program, or
(b) returns the books or equipment to the Institution within the 10-day period referred to clause (a), but fails to return it unopened or in the same state it was in when supplied.
Notice of withdrawal for international students
32. A notice to the Institution that is provided by or on behalf of an international student or of a prospective international student and that states that the student has not been issued a temporary resident visa as a member of the student class under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada) is deemed to be written notice to the college that a student is rescinding (cancelling) the contract under section 36 of the Act or withdrawing from the program.
Currency
33. Any refund of fees that the Institution is required to pay under the Act shall be paid in Canadian dollars.
Sexual Violence Policy
- General
(a) Connect International School 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.
(b) Connect International School 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.
(c) The person accused of engaging in sexual violence will be referred to as the “Respondent” and the person making the allegation as the “Complainant”.
- 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.
- Training, Reporting and Responding to Sexual Violence
(a) Connect International School 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. *Any company participating in offering student internships on their premises must provide an undertaking in writing that it is in compliance with all applicable legislation, including the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Occupational Health and Safety Act and will provide students access to those policies should they encounter issues relating to sexual violence in the workplace.
(b) The Sexual Violence Policy shall be published on its website.
(c) Connect International School management, instructors, staff, other employees and contractors of Connect International School will report incidents of, or complaints of sexual violence to the Campus Manager Wanderson Tobias Rodrigues at w.tobias@studyciscanada.com or face to face upon becoming aware of them.
(d) Students who have been affected by sexual violence or who need information about support services should contact the Campus Manager, Wanderson Tobias Rodrigues face to face or at w.tobias@studyciscanada.com
(e) Subject to Section 4 below, to the extent it is possible, Connect International School 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:
(i) 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
(ii) ensuring that the documentation is kept in a separate file from that of the Complainant/student or the Respondent.
(f) Connect International School recognizes the right of the Complainant, that they are not required 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 in order to obtain supports and services or accommodation.
(g) Notwithstanding (f), in certain circumstances, Connect International School 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.
(h) In all cases, including (f) above, Connect International School will appropriately accommodate the needs of its students who are affected by sexual violence. Students seeking accommodation should contact the Campus Manager, Wanderson Tobias Rodrigues at w.tobias@studyciscanada.com.
In this regard, Connect International School will assist students who have experienced sexual violence in obtaining counselling and medical care, and provide them with information about sexual violence supports and services available in the community as set out in Appendix 1 attached hereto. Students are not required to file a formal complaint in order to access supports and services.
- Investigating Reports of Sexual Violence
(a) Under this Sexual Violence Policy, any student of Connect International School may file a report of an incident or a complaint to Wanderson Tobias Rodrigues at w.tobias@studyciscanada.com.
(b) Upon receipt of a report of an incident or a complaint of alleged sexual violence being made, the Campus Manager will respond promptly and:
(i) determine whether an investigation should proceed and if the Complainant wishes to participate in an investigation;
(ii) determine who should conduct the investigation having regard to the seriousness of the allegation and the parties involved;
(iii) 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, Connect International School may conduct its own independent investigation and make its own determination in accordance with its own policies and procedures; and
(iv) 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.
(c) Once an investigation is initiated, the following will occur:
(i) the Complainant and the Respondent will be advised that they may ask another person to be present throughout the investigation;
(ii) 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;
(iii) 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;
(iv) interviewing any person involved or who has, or may have, knowledge of the incident and any identified witnesses;
(v) providing reasonable updates to the Complainant and the Respondent about the status of the investigation; and
(vi) following the investigation, the Head Teacher Nicole Hibbert will:
(A) review all of the evidence collected during the investigation;
(B) determine whether sexual violence occurred; and if so
(C) determine what disciplinary action, if any, should be taken as set out in Section 5 below.
- Disciplinary Measures
(a) If it is determined by Connect International School that the Respondent did engage in sexual violence, immediate disciplinary or corrective action will be taken. This may include:
(i) disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment of instructors or staff; or (ii) expulsion of a student; and /or
(iii) the placement of certain restrictions on the Respondent’s ability to access certain premises or facilities; and/or
(iv) any other actions that may be appropriate in the circumstances.
- Appeal
(a) Should the Complainant or the Respondent not agree with the decision resulting from the investigation, he or she may appeal the decision to the Managing Director, Cindy Kwon at c.kwon@studyciscanada.com, within 10 days by submitting a letter addressed to Cindy Kwon, the President advising of the person’s intent to appeal the decision.
- Making False Statements
(a) 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.
(b) 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.
- Reprisal
(a) 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.
(b) 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.
(c) If students, 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.
(d) 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.
- Review
(a) Connect International School shall ensure that student input is considered in the development of its Sexual Violence Policy and every time it is reviewed or amended.
(b) Connect International School shall review its Sexual Violence Policy 3 years after it is first implemented and amend it where appropriate. This date is January 1, 2024.
- Collection of Student Data
(a) Connect International School shall collect and be prepared to provide upon request by the Superintendent of Career Colleges such data and information as required according to Subsections 32. 1 (8), (9), (10) and (11) of Schedule 5 of the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 as amended.
Appendix 1
The following represents a list of Provincial Rape Crisis Centres:
Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres Ontario English – Assaulted Women’s Helpline
Toll Free: 1-866-863-0511
#SAFE (#7233) on Bell, Rogers, Fido or Telus mobile TTY: 416-364-8762
www.awhl.org
Français – Fem’aide
Telephone Toll-Free: 1-877-336-2433 ATS: 1 866 860-7082 www.femaide.ca
Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres
35 hospital-based centres that provide 24/7 emergency care to women – http://sadvtreatmentcentres.ca
Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres – http://www.satcontario.com
Local Centres
Toronto
Oasis Centre des Femmes Téléphone: 416-591-6565
Courriel : services@oasisfemmes.org http://oasisfemmes.org/
Toronto Rape Crisis Centre: Multicultural Women Against Rape
Crisis: 416-597-8808
Office: 416-597-1171
info@trccmwar.ca crisis@trccmwar.ca www.trccmwar.ca www.daso.ca
Brantford
Sexual Assault Centre of Brantford Crisis: 519-751-3471
Office: 519-751-1164 sexualassaultcentre@sacbrant.ca http://sacbrant.ca/
Durham Region
Durham Rape Crisis Centre Crisis: 905-668-9200 Office: 905-444.9672 info@drcc.ca
www.drcc.ca
Guelph
Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis
Crisis: 519-836-5710
1-800-265-7233
Office: 519-823-5806 www.gwwomenincrisis.org
Hamilton
Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton and Area) Crisis: (905) 525-4162
Office (905) 525-4573
TTY: 905-525-4592
www.sacha.ca
Kitchener-Waterloo
Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region
Crisis: 519.741.8633
Office: 519.571.0121
info@sascwr.org
www.kwsasc.org
Peel Region
Hope 24/7
Crisis: 1-800-810-0180 Office: (905) 792-0821 http://hope247.ca/
Oakville
Sexual Assault & Violence Intervention Services of Halton
Crisis: 905-875-1555 or 1-877-268-8416
Office: 905-825-3622
www.savisofhalton.org
Orangeville -Family Transition Place Crisis: 1-800-265-9178
Office: 519-942-4122 www.familytransitionplace.ca