Our commitment to support a safe and respectful community 

Today, the Winnipeg Police Service issued a public statement announcing that a faculty member has been charged with sexual assault and exploitation in connection with events reported to have taken place approximately 15 years ago. 

The university takes these charges very seriously and is, of course, cooperating with the WPS.   

The university has placed the individual on leave and he is prohibited from attending campus, performing any university responsibilities, or contacting members of the UM community. 

We have robust supports in place, which we have outlined below, for any members of our community who may be affected by these events. We are also working to ensure continuity for students whose courses may be affected. 

I want to recognize the concern and distress this news may cause—particularly for survivors of sexual violence. To those individuals, and to our entire community, I want to assure you that UM is committed to supporting a culture of safety, respect and accountability. 

In recent years, the University of Manitoba has taken significant steps to strengthen our response to sexual violence. In 2018, we commissioned an independent report to provide recommendations to improve our policies, processes, and supports. In 2019, we followed that work with a campus-wide survey to identify areas of risk, service gaps, and opportunities for a more comprehensive prevention and response strategy.  

These efforts have led to substantial and ongoing change across our university, including: 

• The establishment of the Sexual Violence Resource Centre (SVRC) to support survivors and coordinate services across campus. 

• Major updates to the Sexual Violence Policy, including the removal of time limits on complaints, an expanded definition of consent, and a requirement for those in supervisory roles to refer disclosures to the SVRC. 

• Made Sexual Violence Awareness Training available to all faculty and staff during onboarding, and mandatory for select positions.  

• A revised Manager’s Toolkit on Hiring that enhances practices around reference checks and interviews. 

• A strengthened formal complaint process through the Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management. 

We do not share this progress to suggest the work is done. We are committed to learning from our past, to continued engagement, and to taking meaningful action. 

We will do this work together—with humility, accountability, and care for every member of our community. 

Sincerely, 
Michael Benarroch, Ph.D. 
President and Vice-Chancellor 
University of Manitoba 

Information on available supports: 

Please know you can access resources through UM’s Sexual Violence Resource Centre. 

Faculty and staff can find information on supports through UM’s well-being resources.   

Students can also connect with the UM Student Counselling Centre (204-474-8592) which has intake and triage spaces available and will accommodate you as quickly as possible. 

If students need to speak to someone sooner, and it’s outside of usual office hours, they can connect with EmpowerMe/Student Care (for those with UMSU Health Plan).  

The following crisis resources are also available to anyone outside of office hours: 

Canada Mental Health Crisis Helpline (call or text 9-8-8 toll-free, 24/7) 

Klinic Crisis Line (204-786-8686) 

Mobile Crisis Service (204-940-1781)