Please visit our Book a Consultation page to contact the OMR. You will be directed to complete a web form and to book a consultation directly with us. 

Yes, information you share in a consultation will be kept confidential. However, there are some limits to this confidentiality, which include:

• You give us permission to disclose information necessary to coordinate services with other individuals or offices at McGill.
• There is an imminent threat of death or serious physical harm to yourself or another person.

• A minor’s security or development is or may be compromised.
• There are reasonable grounds to be concerned about the risk of future violence or the safety of the University and/or broader community.

Yes. Our role is to help you understand what options and resources are available. It is up to you to decide whether to move forward with filing a report.

If you choose to take no action beyond discussing your concerns with an OMR staff member, then please know that you will still contribute to an overall picture of equity at McGill. We maintain anonymized aggregate statistics on the types of inquiries we receive and, with this information we can identify systemic issues, suggest ideas for systemic change, and offer advice to units at McGill.

You can find more information on filing a report through McGill’s Policy on Harassment and Discrimination here. If you are ready to file a report, you can complete this reporting form and return it to the OMR.

As a matter of procedural fairness, the respondent will receive a copy of the report so that they can know the allegations made against them and provide a meaningful response.

As a third party, you can file a report and request an investigation. An investigation can proceed where there is sufficient evidence and such an investigation would not violate procedural fairness. An individual identified as the person who directly experienced harassment or discrimination in a third-party report has the right to be informed of an investigation triggered by such a report and can choose whether or not to participate in the process.

If the person directly affected by harassment and/or discrimination does not wish to participate in the process, this might limit considerably, or preclude, the ability to conduct an investigation that meets the requirements of procedural fairness. It will always depend on the circumstances of the case.

Confidential reporting is possible through McGill’s Policy on Harassment and Discrimination. A confidential report is a report made by a person whose identity is known only to the OMR and is not disclosed to the Assessor, the Respondent, or any other person. An investigation can proceed where there is sufficient evidence and such an investigation would not violate procedural fairness. An individual identified as the person who directly experienced harassment and/or discrimination in an confidential report has the right to be informed of an investigation triggered by such a report and can choose whether or not to participate in the process.  

All parties must be members of McGill at the time of the incident(s) and at the time of filing a report. The incident(s) must also have occurred in a University context.

There is one exception: students who have graduated or withdrawn from the University can file a report against a member of McGill who exercised academic authority over them if they do so within 24 months of the most recent incident, the respondent is a current member of McGill, and the incident(s) occurred in a University context.

Reports filed through McGill’s Policy on Harassment and Discrimination are investigated by an Assessor, who is an employee of the OMR or an independent party on contract with McGill. An Assessor has expertise in investigations and procedural fairness, and is trained in trauma-informed processes and in the manner in which persons of diverse identities might experience harassment and discrimination. 

A report of harassment and/or discrimination must be filed within 24 months of the most recent incident. Both parties must be members of McGill at the time of the incident(s) and at the time of filing the report.* In addition, the incident(s) must have occurred within a University context.

*Students who have graduated or withdrawn from the University can file a report against a member of McGill who exercised academic authority over them if they do so within 24 months of the most recent incident, the respondent is a current member of McGill, and the incident(s) occurred within a University context.

No. The parties are asked to respect privacy rights and to maintain the confidentiality of information shared during a mediation or investigation in order to protect the integrity of that process. 

No. The OMR acts in an impartial manner and we would not disclose personal or confidential information to current reporting parties.

If a disciplinary process follows a Policy investigation, then it proceeds according to the relevant University regulation or collective agreement (e.g., McGill’s Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures or the Regulations Relating to the Employment of Tenure Track and Tenured Academic Staff). Disciplinary outcomes for a student may include an admonishment, a reprimand, conduct probation and associated conditions (e.g., cease and desist communication), suspension, and expulsion. Disciplinary outcomes for an employee may include a letter of reprimand, suspension without pay, and dismissal from the University.

There may also be administrative measures following a Policy investigation, such as education and training, limitation or elimination of supervisory privileges over students, no-contact or no-communication directives, and structural measures, such as the requirement that an academic or administrative unit undergo a climate review to improve the working and/or learning environment.

There is no appeals process through the Policy on Harassment and Discrimination. However, any member of the University community who is of the view that the University has not adhered to the requirements set by these Policies may pursue a grievance process established by the applicable University regulation and/or collective agreement.

Yes. Please see here for information about support services.