McGill law school grapples with fallout after paroled murderer excluded from campus
Some students and alumni in McGill University's law faculty have signed a petition calling for the school to allow Jeffrey George Ewert, a convicted murderer on day parole, to return to campus.
Law school grapples with fallout after paroled murderer excluded from campus
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Some students and alumni in McGill University's law faculty have signed a petition calling for the school to allow Jeffrey George Ewert, a convicted murderer on day parole, to return to campus.
Now in his 60s, Ewert was convicted of second-degree murder and attempted murder for two attacks in B.C. in 1984.
He sexually assaulted and killed one woman and, less than six weeks later, beat and choked a 15-year-old so severely that she was paralyzed and disabled for life, according to a summary of his case in his parole board file.
Ewert is serving a life sentence and was granted day parole in 2025. While various clinical assessments ranked Ewert’s risk of reoffending as moderate to high, official parole documents say with close supervision at a halfway house and clinical follow-up, that risk “seems to fall more into the moderate risk category.”
Ewert is currently living in a halfway house. He declined an interview with CBC.
He began attending law classes at McGill in August, but has not been seen on campus since early October, according to students. McGill's provost also confirmed that timeline in a letter Friday to students and alumni.
In a story published Friday, students told CBC News they were upset the university had not disclosed their peer’s violent history and some expressed feeling unsafe.
But the petition, signed by more than 100 students and alumni, argues the exclusion undermines Ewert's access to education and rehabilitation as an Indigenous man and a survivor of the Sixties Scoop.
Jeffrey George Ewert began attending law classes at McGill University in August. Some students told CBC they were upset his violent criminal past was not disclosed. (Name withheld/Instagram)
The petition, addressed to the university provost, the dean of the law faculty and the dean of students, acknowledges student safety concerns but says Ewert should not be excluded from campus.
"We are asking that Jeff be given the chance to do what the rest of us are doing, which is to attend class and learn," the petition says.
"A ban from the premises, with no conversation beforehand and no finding of misconduct, takes that chance away."
Debate among students
The CBC report has sparked heated debate among faculty, students and alumni.
An online discussion on Facebook features McGill law students on all sides of the controversy: some argue their peers should be more compassionate toward those convicted of a crime, while others say there should be more respect for students who feel unsafe.
"I can recognize the importance of reintegration, while also questioning how our university is handling the situation for students with such trauma," one person posted anonymously in the Facebook discussion.
"You never know what someone has been a victim to in their life and how that might impact their reaction, especially after having experienced such violence firsthand."
The administration, meanwhile, has tried to calm concerns among the student body.
Tina Piper, the law faculty's dean, said in a letter to students that the university took "prompt action as soon as we became aware of this situation earlier this month."
Piper said she has been working with the administration on next steps.
"I want you to know that my highest priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of all members of our faculty," Piper said in the note, obtained by CBC.
"This situation is not unlike one you may encounter in your future legal career and now is a good time to practise how you want to be in the world."
In a separate email, McGill provost Angela Campbell also tried to reassure the university community.
She wrote that when information came to their attention about a situation that could "compromise a safe learning environment," the university took measured, decisive action.
WATCH | Convicted murderer on campus generates debate at McGill law:
Convicted killer attending McGill law school divides students over safety, 2nd chances
October 16|
Duration
5:35
A convicted murderer’s presence at McGill University's law school while on day parole has sparked debate over public safety and rehabilitation. Several students say they feel vulnerable and frustrated by a lack of transparency regarding Jeffrey George Ewert's violent past against women, while his lawyer and student supporters argue he deserves a second chance.Ewert 'an example of rehabilitation,' lawyer says
Ewert’s lawyer, Nora Demnati, said his admission to McGill’s law program was a continuation of two decades of legal advocacy while he was in prison.
Ewert heads the Canadian Prisoners’ Labour Confederation, a group that advocates for labour rights for inmates.
She said the situation has “put tremendous stress on someone who’s like, honestly, an example of rehabilitation,” said Demnati.
While Demnati said she understands the concerns of some students, she believes they come from an “uninformed” reading of the parole decisions.
“Parole is based on progress and work and it’s on merit," said Demnati in an interview with CBC last week.
When Ewert’s parole was extended in June, some of his conditions included not to enter a drinking establishment, to immediately report all sexual and non-sexual relationships with women and to allow his case management team access to all his telecommunication activity.
That latter condition was added by the parole board because Ewert had been viewing women’s profiles on social media, starting discussions with them and exploring a dating site without notifying his case management team.
He was reprimanded by the parole board in 2025 after he had contacted and collected the phone numbers of multiple women.
As parolees are adjusting to life outside prison, Demnati said it’s normal for there to be occasional breaches.
“People on parole have breaches a lot of the time,” she said. “It does not lead necessarily to an increase in the risk and it does not lead to a conclusion that the risk cannot be managed anymore.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Benjamin Shingler is an investigative reporter based in Montreal. He previously worked at The Canadian Press, CTV and the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. You can email story ideas or tips to montrealinvestigates@cbc.ca, or reach out on Signal at @bshingler.67
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