Ottawa school board seeks court order to unmask Reddit user

David Fraser · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 21, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) is locked successful a tribunal conflict to compel societal media tract Reddit to crook implicit identifying accusation of a idiosyncratic who it alleges has been defaming unit astatine a section simple school.

The committee alleges the posts astir ongoing issues astatine Pinecrest Public School were made successful an effort to defame employees "for immoderate chartless ulterior motive." None of the allegations person been proven successful court.

The committee wants Reddit to supply immoderate email addresses, telephone numbers, location data and different identifying accusation astir the user. In a statement, it said it was compelled by its "unwavering dedication to creating a affirmative and supportive situation for each members of the OCDSB community."

Reddit argues handing implicit the accusation volition make a chill among different users, explaining in its tribunal filings that "anonymity is not conscionable a idiosyncratic penchant but a defining diagnostic of Reddit's concern exemplary and identity."

Most of the comments successful question were successful response to discussions astir quality stories astir the committee and problems at specific schools. Several involved specific incidents and ongoing issues astatine Pinecrest Public School that person been reported in the media.

Some of the comments singled retired the school's main and a superintendent, the committee said successful its tribunal filings.

Reddit's tribunal filings notation 51 comments by the user in 17 antithetic conversations. 

User alleged OCDSB failed to study violence, racism

According to the OCDSB, the "false and defamatory" comments began on Dec. 17, 2022. Naming idiosyncratic unit members, the idiosyncratic accused them of failing to study incidents, stifling investigations and ignoring instances of racism.

According to the board, the comments were dishonest, disrespectful and created a toxic enactment environment. The anonymous idiosyncratic besides insinuated that unit members had "acquiesced successful the perpetration of racist acts astatine the school," the committee said.

During a lengthy Reddit thread about a precocious schoolhouse pupil who died aft being stabbed successful Nepean last May, the idiosyncratic accused an OCDSB superintendent of ignoring information concerns successful the district. In a effect to different user, the idiosyncratic being sought by the committee described themselves arsenic a teacher. 

The committee said it's considering a defamation suit against the idiosyncratic liable for posting the comments. 

But Reddit denies OCDSB's assertion that the accusation is "necessary for it to find whether to prosecute a imaginable assertion for defamation."

OCDSB 'vigorously defending' employees

In effect to CBC's petition for comment, OCDSB communications manager Diane Pernari said the committee is committed to "vigorously defending our employees against unfounded attacks and upholding our ineligible and ethical obligations."

She wrote the ineligible enactment underscores the board's "unwavering dedication to creating a affirmative and supportive situation for each members of the OCDSB community." 

Known arsenic a Norwich Order, the board's exertion seeks to compel a 3rd enactment to supply accusation astir alleged wrongdoing, even if the 3rd enactment isn't straight progressive successful the wrongdoing.

Reddit did not respond to a petition for comment. Lawyers for some parties are expected to person different tribunal day aboriginal this year. 

Court to see escaped speech, defamation 

Ottawa-based lawyer Karin Page said the schoolhouse committee volition person to show the user's comments were defamatory, rather than conscionable captious of its policies. 

Page said the court will request to equilibrium the nationalist involvement successful protecting anonymous code against the board's request to support itself against alleged defamation.

"There's a quality betwixt idiosyncratic conscionable voicing their absorption to a policy or ... to the government, oregon to disclosing their ain idiosyncratic situations," she said. "There's a favoritism betwixt that and making defamatory statements online."

She added the information the comments named oregon identified circumstantial individuals is concerning, arsenic it makes it hard for those people to support themselves.