B.C. teacher convicted of sexual exploitation banned from the profession for life

An empty classroom is seen in this undated file photo.

A B.C. high school teacher has been handed a lifetime ban from the profession after he was convicted of sexual exploitation, according to the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

The teacher and the school he worked at are not named in the consent resolution agreement posted online Tuesday to protect the identity of the student he exploited.

According to the agreement, the teacher was criminally charged with sexual offences against a minor in 2021, an unspecified amount of time after he began an “inappropriately intimate, physical and sexualized relationship with a student.”

He was also suspended by his school district in 2021.

He pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation in 2022, and received a conditional sentence of 24 months, followed by 36 months of probation, according to the commissioner, who noted the criminal proceedings were subject to a publication ban. Other charges were stayed.

The sentence also included terms that put limits on the teacher’s contact with minors, and had the teacher placed on the national sex offender registry for 20 years.

On a date redacted by the commissioner, the teacher agreed that he will not apply for a qualification certificate, nor will the certification director give him one, for the rest of his life. The ban applies to any authorization to teach in the kindergarten to Grade 12 education system.

The commissioner said the following factors determined that a lifetime ban was the appropriate consequence for the teacher’s conduct: “The teacher engaged in criminal misconduct that undermines public trust in the teaching profession; the teacher used his privileged position of power and trust to exploit a minor for sexual advantage; and the teacher violated the student’s physical and emotional safety and wellbeing.”