A campus group that staged an anti-abortion protest at the University of Alberta that led to a counter-demonstration has lost an appeal over how the school handled the event, but won a second appeal about security costs.
UAlberta Pro-Life sought a judicial review of the university’s decision not to investigate the group’s complaint that counter-demonstrators should have been disciplined in 2015 for blocking its displays, which included pictures of dismembered fetuses.
The group also wanted a review of the university’s decision that the group would have to pay $17,500 to cover security costs for a similar protest it wanted to hold in 2016.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which represented UAlberta Pro-Life, wanted the court to rule that charging a security fee infringed on freedom of expression.
Both applications had been previously dismissed by Court of Queen’s Bench.
In a 2-1 decision, Alberta’s Court of Appeal agreed that the challenge over the complaint decision should be dismissed, but the security costs appeal should be allowed.