A Court of King’s Bench judge says the University of Lethbridge was wrong to cancel a controversial lecture in 2023. The lecture was set to be given by former Mount Royal University professor Frances Widdowson. The university cancelled it after more than 4,000 people signed petitions opposing the event. Justice Chris Simard said the university’s decision was “fundamentally and fatally flawed” because it failed to consider charter-protected freedom of expression. But the judge isn’t ordering the university to hold the lecture, saying it’s now practically impossible for the event to go ahead. 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. Arrested for trespassing Widdowson was arrested at the University of Lethbridge on April 25, 2026, for trespassing. Officials say she was escorted off the property and ticketed for trespassing. The University of Lethbridge, in a statement issued in April, 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. Widdowson continues to fight to get her job back at Mount Royal University, after an arbitration hearing found her 2021 firing to be disproportionate. With files from CTV News’ Michael Franklin
