How to address a conflict of interest
Disclosing a non-research related conflict of interest to your immediate supervisor
If you become aware of a non-research-related real, potential, or perceived conflict of interest, you must immediately disclose the conflict of interest to your immediate supervisor. If you are in doubt about a particular situation, you must discuss it with your immediate supervisor prior to engaging in the activity in question. You and your supervisor may also seek guidance from Legal Services, which shall serve as a resource to help you identify a Conflict of Interest and shall provide, if requested, information regarding the application of the Policy on Conflict of Interest (BD-4).
The immediate supervisor, in consultation with you, will decide on the course of action to avoid or to monitor the conflict of interest, and you must agree in writing to that course of action. A copy of the course of action agreed upon will be placed in your personnel file and must be forwarded to the Secretary-General and the relevant Vice-President.
Disclosing a research-related conflict of interest
If you become aware of a real, potential, or perceived research-related conflict of interest situation, you must complete a Disclosure Report Form. You must then submit that form to the Associate Dean of your Faculty or School with responsibility for Research, or the appropriate Reporting Officer set forth in Appendix B to the Policy on Conflict of Interest in Research (VPRGS-5).
The Reporting Officer, in consultation with you, will decide on the course of action to avoid or to monitor the conflict of interest, and you must agree in writing with that course of action. A copy of the course of action agreed upon will be placed in your personnel file and a copy will be sent to the Vice-President, Research, Innovation and Impact; and, in a case involving a faculty member, to the Department Chair and Faculty Dean.
Disclosing to the appropriate authority in cases of a consensual romantic or sexual relationship
Pursuant to the Consensual Romantic or Sexual Relationships Guidelines, instructors are strongly discouraged from commencing or continuing a consensual romantic or sexual relationship with a student. If, notwithstanding the foregoing, a consensual romantic or sexual relationship between a student and an instructor occurs, it must be disclosed if the instructor is or may reasonably be expected to become responsible for teaching, advising, allocating resources or supervising the student or, more generally, is or may reasonably be expected to be in a position to exercise authority over the student.
Such relationship must be immediately disclosed to the appropriate authority, who depending on the circumstances may be: the relevant Dean, the University Librarian, the Executive Director of the Centre for Continuing Education or the relevant Vice-President.