Student takes Ontario Tech University to Human Rights Tribunal over denied religious vaccine exemption
At the heart of the case is Ontario Tech’s decision not to offer a third option that had been outlined by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, in an August 30, 2021, directive.
A former Ontario Tech University student is taking his fight for religious freedom to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal this week, challenging the university’s decision to deregister him from his courses after he refused to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Philip Anisimov, who was enrolled at Ontario Tech in Oshawa during the height of the pandemic in 2021, says the university violated his right to be free from religious discrimination when it denied his request for a vaccine exemption on religious grounds. His case, backed by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, will be heard by the Tribunal on April 15 and 16.
The university’s decision to deregister Anisimov forced him to delay his graduation by a full year and disrupted his early career plans. “I should have been looking for a job right now, but I can’t do that,” Anisimov said at the time. “Regardless of what path I take, I will lose a lot of time and money.”
At the heart of the case is Ontario Tech’s decision not to offer a third option that had been outlined by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, in an August 30, 2021, directive.
That directive gave post-secondary institutions the choice to allow students who declined vaccination to attend an educational session and undergo regular COVID testing. While other institutions offered this pathway, Ontario Tech chose not to, offering only the vaccine or a narrow medical exemption.
Anisimov’s legal counsel, constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir, argues that the university’s refusal to accommodate a sincerely held religious belief amounts to unlawful discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code.
“The university tried to characterize Mr. Anisimov’s belief as a personal preference by arguing that vaccination is not truly contrary to his faith,” said Kheir. “Decision-makers are not permitted to engage in theological speculation. So long as a belief is religious in nature and sincerely held, it must be accommodated.”
Kheir added, “Students should not have to choose between remaining faithful to their religious convictions and being allowed to finish their education. Mr. Anisimov could have easily been accommodated without any risk to public health.”
The hearing is scheduled to run over two days, with potential implications for how Ontario post-secondary institutions interpret their duty to accommodate religious beliefs in the face of public health directives.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
COMMENTS
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Jamie Perritt commented 2025-04-15 16:05:41 -0400Good luck to him! He was smart to not take it – look at all the young people who have had their health ruined with this damn thing that they don’t need. Not worth the risk. I didn’t take it either even though to this day it’s still usually mandatory in my field for us to have 2 does, which is social services. -
Crude Sausage commented 2025-04-15 08:44:15 -0400The university should be fined for every student they coerced into getting this poison. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-04-14 19:29:18 -0400What a scam COVID was. It never should have been politicized and the quarantine was never for health reasons.
