Rights of woman who is deaf and blind were breached by student loans program, Ontario court finds

Ryan V. Parkinson, The Canadian Press, October 27, 2020
An Ontario court has ruled that the provincial and federal governments must operate their student loan program in a way that ensures those with disabilities who take longer to complete their studies are not saddled with more debt than their able-bodied peers. The judge delivered his ruling this week in a lawsuit filed by Jasmin Simpson, who is deaf and legally blind, against the Ontario and federal governments. In his ruling, Sossin found that Simpson’s equality rights under the charter had been breached by decisions made under the loan program, but declined to scrap the system, saying its structure is not inherently discriminatory. The court also issued a declaration that Simpson need not pay off debts arising from the discriminatory application of the program, and that the federal government reimburse her for any payments related to its unconstitutional operation.