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Two Ontario teachers who say they were fired after refusing to compromise on their Christian beliefs are facing another professional battle, this time, one that could cost them their teaching certificates altogether.

I first interviewed Matthew Alexander in 2023, after he and his wife, Nicole, were suspended from their teaching positions in different schools. Matthew had spent 24 years in education without disciplinary issues and had held leadership positions in schools. Nicole, who also had an unblemished record, was teaching kindergarten.

According to Matthew, after their son, Josh Alexander, made headlines for taking a stand against biological males accessing female washrooms at his high school, he and his wife appeared to become targets despite neither of them teaching at their son’s school.

Matthew says the board raised concerns about his association with Josh, the Christian youth organization Save Canada and even Christian pastors he had been photographed with. Nicole, meanwhile, was suspended after quietly removing a Pride flag someone had placed on her kindergarten classroom door.

The couple says they were ultimately given an ultimatum: agree to comply with the board's requirement that they “celebrate and affirm LGBTQ issues in the classroom” or lose their jobs.

The Renfrew County District School Board later terminated the couple on October 26, 2023. “We had never discriminated against anybody, always had warm, welcoming classrooms,” Matthew told me. “But somehow if we won't celebrate, we're not allowed, not allowed to teach.”

Now, the Alexanders are facing an investigation by the Ontario College of Teachers, the regulatory body responsible for their professional teaching certificates.

Matthew said the implications could extend far beyond simply losing the ability to return to the classroom.

“The ramifications are broad, wide and very serious,” he said, warning that an adverse professional ruling could carry significant financial consequences and affect future licensing opportunities.

The couple has joined forces with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is assisting with their legal defence through crowdfunding efforts as they continue their fight.