Teacher becomes active in her school community
Amy McKay worked as a long-term occasional teacher with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) and was deeply involved in her school community.
A mother of two, Ms. McKay supported her children’s extracurricular activities, helped run a student diversity club, and hosted a neighbourhood knitting and crochet group for more than a decade.
In 2022, Ms. McKay took leave from teaching to pursue studies in professional counselling. During this time, she used social media to express her personal views on gender identity ideology, gender-affirming medical interventions, and women’s sex-based rights.
School board bans teacher over social media posts
While Ms. McKay was on leave in 2022, the OCDSB received a complaint about her social media posts. The school board subsequently banned her from teaching.
Ms. McKay resigned from her teaching position in 2023 but maintained her provincial teaching licence.
Unbeknownst to her, the OCDSB also filed a complaint about her with the Ontario College of Teachers on June 27, 2023.
Nearly two years passed before Ms. McKay learned about the complaint.
College tells teacher to surrender her licence or face investigation
On May 13, 2025, the College informed Ms. McKay that a formal complaint had been filed against her.
The College gave her a choice: permanently surrender her teaching licence, which would end the investigation, or refuse and face a full investigation into her expression.
Ms. McKay refused to surrender her licence.
Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre advised the College that Ms. McKay would not sign the undertaking and reminded it of its duty to respect her freedom of expression protected by section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir noted that “many Canadians in all walks of life are subject to professional regulation. Canadians should not have to choose between their right to express deeply held views and the ability to be a member of a professional body.”
Teacher stands by her right to speak freely
Ms. McKay, who now works as a registered psychotherapist, said: “In a diverse and multicultural country, everyone’s rights must be considered and all are important. Attempting to silence, intimidate, or punish anyone for speaking about their experiences and their rights is wrong.”
She added that peacefully defending one’s rights—or the rights of others—is “a non-partisan act of civic responsibility.”
Ms. McKay awaits the College’s decision on whether it will proceed with a full investigation.