Controversial former Calgary professor arrested for trespassing in Lethbridge

Former Mount Royal University professor Frances Widdowson has had another run-in on the University of Lethbridge campus.

A woman who was fired by a Calgary university over her controversial views on residential schools has been arrested for trespassing, Lethbridge police say.

Frances Widdowson was arrested at the University of Lethbridge on April 25 for trespassing, police confirmed to CTV News on Monday.

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Officials say she was escorted off the property and ticketed for trespassing.

The University of Lethbridge, in a statement Monday, said Widdowson trespass notice came after an unscheduled event she held on campus on Feb. 4.

Officials said she arrived with short notice and was permitted to stay to exercise her freedom of expression.

“Universities are places where controversial ideas should be examined, critiqued, and challenged through rigorous, evidence-based inquiry,” the U of L said.

“An increasing crowd” gathered due to her presence and the school said the protest lasted for six hours.

“Throughout, the university’s priority was to support lawful expression while maintaining as safe an environment as possible,” the school said.

“When it became clear the situation would not de-escalate, and that safety could no longer be maintained and core operations were being disrupted due to institutional capacity, the university issued a trespass notice which was served on Widdowson by the police.

“When she did not leave, the police removed her.”

The U of L said Widdowson was reminded of the trespass notice, via writing, on April 20.

Four days later, Widdowson was stopped by Lethbridge police officers while she was driving on campus. She was instructed to leave.

The next day, she was stopped again on campus by university security, who reminded her of the trespass notice and asked her to leave.

Widdowson refused, which prompted the police action that led to her arrest.

“The university has reasonable grounds to believe that Widdowson’s presence would again result in significant disruption that exceeds the university’s ability to manage it,” the U of L said in a statement.

“She has made clear repeatedly through her own statements (in person and online) that when she attends campus, she will not leave until removed.”

The U of L also said that Widdowson consistently provokes the school’s community on social media, which includes inciting large protests and degrading Indigenous practices in online videos.

‘No remorse for your conduct’: MRU

Widdowson was fired by Calgary’s Mount Royal University (MRU) in 2021 after she made comments that suggested that residential schools had benefits.

The institution said her termination came about after her actions brought complaints from other staff and students and contributed “to a harassing and toxic workplace environment.”

According to her termination letter, posted in an online decision by the Alberta Grievance Arbitration Awards, MRU said Widdowson violated the school’s personal harassment policy and its code of conduct for employees.

The letter includes the following:

In assessing an appropriate disciplinary measure, Dr. Evans advised that your conduct demonstrates that your relationship with Mount Royal University has become irreparably damaged and a continued employment relationship is non-viable. For example:

Students have raised numerous complaints and concerns regarding your conduct, this includes a media release from SAMRU condemning your social media comments in July of 2021;

Mount Royal University has received an abundance of complaints from external parties with respect to your inappropriate conduct on social media;

There are indications that you continually and intentionally attempt to disrupt business at meetings by bringing forward comments that are not relevant to the discussions;

Your conduct at a meeting in the spring of 2021 was so disruptive that it was a significant contributing factor to the development of new procedures for Arts Faculty Council meetings as well as the disabling of the chat function during these meetings;

You have indicated that you intend to continue to lodge complaints whether or not they are frivolous or vexatious;

An inordinate amount of resources have been spent investigating and administrating complaints filed by you or about you since the summer of 2020;

You have been found to have contributed significantly to a harassing and toxic workplace environment;

A number of your former colleagues have indicated that they have departed the University as a result of or influenced by you and your actions;

An investigator has found that your continued conduct has harmed the reputation of Mount Royal University;

You have indicated that you will not take responsibility for your conduct;

Your suggestion that an appropriate resolution to the findings of misconduct against you is a paid 6 month sabbatical clearly demonstrates that you do not appreciate the seriousness of your actions; and

You have indicated that you have no remorse for your conduct.

In February 2023, she was scheduled to have a speaking engagement at the University of Lethbridge, but a protest involving hundreds of people prevented it from taking place.

With files from CTV News Calgary’s Stephen Hunt