I am writing to introduce a new Policy and Guideline for staff to help support the University community in dealing with conflicts of interest in the workplace. The Policy on Conflicts of Interest – Administrative Staff and the related Guideline are in effect as of July 1, 2023. in effect as of July 1, 2023.

The Policy and Guideline describe what might constitute a conflict of interest and how these situations should be handled in a staff context. The Guideline provides helpful examples. A conflict of interest or perceived conflict of interest occurs if a staff member engages in personal or professional activities that result in the staff member’s interests coming into conflict with—or appearing to come into conflict with—those of the University. In those situations, staff members have an obligation to declare the activities to their manager.

Please carefully review the Policy and the Guideline if you think that you may have a conflict, and follow the processes that are set out in those documents. As you will see in the Policy and Guideline, a breach could result in disciplinary measures up to and including termination of employment.

The Policy applies to all administrative staff members employed by the University, including employees represented and not represented by a union, and both casual and staff-appointed employees (i.e., all University employees, save and except for faculty members and librarians who are subject to the Policy on Conflict of Interest – Academic Staff and Policy on Conflict of Interest – Librarians, respectively).

Employees will be notified if any changes are made to the Policy in the future.

Related Policy Changes

This Policy serves to replace the existing “conflict of interest” policies for certain employee groups. This means that the following policies have been revoked:

• Policy 3.01.10 (Conflict of Interest) in the Policies for Professional and Managerial Staff;
• Policy 3.01.11 (Conflict of Interest) in the Policies for Confidentials; and
• Policy 3.01.13 (Conflict of Interest) in the Policies for Senior Research Associates and Research Associates (Limited Term).

Questions

Frequently asked questions can be found in the HR Service Centre’s About the Policy on Conflicts of Interest article.

If you have any questions about conflicts of interest at the University, please contact your manager, supervisor, chair, academic director, Dean’s Office, or Divisional HR Office.