Ontario public school teachers are protected from unreasonable searches: top court

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada says Ontario public school board teachers have a Charter-protected right against unreasonable search and seizure in the workplace.

The top court’s decision comes today in the case of two teachers who were reprimanded after discovery of a digital log about their work-related concerns.

The case began in the 2014-15 school year when a Grade 2 teacher in York Region began keeping the personal, password-protected log.

The school’s principal took screenshots of the log, and they were used by the school board to discipline the teachers.