A defamation lawsuit against Conestoga College and its president John Tibbits over alleged remarks he made about Sault College and its president back in February including calling his rival president a “whore” in conversation with a Cambridge media outlet.
The lawsuit, which was filed in in Sault Ste. Marie on April 11, seeks a public retraction and apology as well as $200,000 and court costs.
Issues between the two presidents began shortly after the Federal government announced a cap on intake of foreign students back in January. At the time, Immigration Minister said the move was made to target “bad actors” in the education sector.
The lawsuit, of which a copy has been obtained by Global News, notes that then, Sault College president David Orazietti went on a Village Media podcast where he pointed at Conestoga College’s rapid growth to insinuate that the school was one of the “bad actors.”
The lawsuit claims that “Orazietti’s statements were objective and based in fact.”
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At an event held by Conestoga a couple of days later, a Cambridge Today reporter asked Tibbits about the comments.
Among other things, the Conestoga president allegedly called Orazietti “a whore” and that he needed to learn to “shut his mouth.” It was also reported that he said that northern Ontario colleges were churning out diplomas “like puppy mills.”
The lawsuit says that “in their extended meaning or by innuendo, the statements mean or were meant to convey a message that Sault College and Mr. Orazietti are deceptive, fraudulent, and unreliable in their professional activities.”
After Tibbits comments were widely reported, Conestoga College Board of Governors said that it was reviewing the matter internally, also noting that it had received an apology from Tibbits.
“We are concerned about the remarks made earlier this week with members of the local media after the college released its new economic impact report,” a statement from the board read. “The language used is unacceptable and does not align with the values and principles of our institution.”
The lawsuit says that Sault College formally contacted Conestoga College on Feb. 15, which warned of a libel suit and demanded an apology.
The northern college was not satisfied by the statement issued by the board of governors and sent a second notice seeking a formal apology but the lawsuit says there was no response.
In a statement issued to Global News on Friday, the school said, “unfortunately, we’ve had to take this necessary step as a last resort given the seriousness of the public comments made by Mr. Tibbits to further protect the integrity of Sault College. We have been more than reasonable in our request for a direct apology for his personal attacks and misinformation about our college and our operations. However, to date, the Conestoga College Board of Governors is either unwilling or unable to hold Mr. Tibbits accountable.”
Global News has reached out to Conestoga College for comment but has not received a response as of press time.
None of the allegations made in the lawsuit have been proven in court.
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