Statement on Altman v. Faculty Association of Simon Fraser University
We are very pleased to announce that last Friday, 29 August 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia rendered its decision in Altman v. Faculty Association of Simon Fraser University.
The 46-page decision examines the claims brought forward by a small group of faculty against SFUFA for the BDS motion concerning Israel/Palestine and the motion urging divestment from the arms industry. The judge unequivocally dismissed the petition, concluding that “The petitioners have not convinced me that the Resolutions are inconsistent with the Faculty Association’s stated purposes...."
The court decision marks a significant milestone in advancing the case for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and ethical investments at SFU. It is also an important decision defending the rights of unions and union members to engage in debate and action on issues that are not narrowly related to pay and direct working conditions.
We are disappointed that a small group of SFU faculty members attempted to use the courts to undermine established union governance processes and the democratic rights of their fellow SFU faculty members (an effort that came on the heels of the hacking of SFU computer systems to manipulate the referendum). It is unfortunate that our faculty union had to devote limited staff resources to defending those rights.
We are grateful to all those who worked to formulate the resolutions, support them in the referendum, and defend them in court (including the SFUFA executive and CAUT).
This is a pivotal moment for our university when its values, actions, and investments are increasingly scrutinized. We once again urge the SFU administration to heed the repeated calls of SFU faculty, staff, students, and alumni to embrace BDS in the face of genocide, and to divest from the arms industry in general.
The text of the petition is here
The text of the BC Supreme Court decision is here